Abducted
by Lumberchuck
Summary: 18 year old Alice has just checked herself out of the mental facilitly. She thinks no one knows who she is, but she couldn't be more wrong. AU,all human.
1. A Moment of Freedom

Alice sat up bolt straight, sweat seeping through her thin cotton nightgown from the shock of her latest vision.

She squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in her hands, willing the premonition to drift to the back of her mind. A distressed sob broke through her carefully constructed silence.

A thin ray of moonlight filtered through the curtains, pouring across her bed. The beam traced patterns across her thin hospital sheet, giving her terrified face a ghostly aura. She climbed swiftly over the bed's cold metal rails, dropping onto the even colder floor soundlessly. She padded across the concrete, her tiny feet shuffling quietly.

She slid open the small dresser drawer that held her few belongings. All the way in the back, folded and crinkled, was a photo.

A photo of her family.

It was the only thing that could offer her the slightest amount of comfort after one of her painful visions.

But she didn't want their comfort.

They had sent her away.

Sent her to a mental institution.

She was only six years old.

She'd cried and pleaded with her mother, telling her it wasn't her fault that she saw things. That she didn't ask for them to sneak up on her, pulling her from her happy present and throwing her forcefully into a violent future.

And it was always violent.

Once she realized she couldn't block them, she prayed that once, just once, the vision would be a good one. She wanted blissful pictures, like the ones in her coloring books. But all she got was terror. Shadowy visions with dark forms lurking behind hidden doors. Sharp toned commands, hate filled eyes, and blood.

Always blood.

But, even though she didn't want comfort from people who didn't want her, she couldn't stop it from coming. She wiped the last lingering tear from her cheek and kissed the picture gently before refolding it and pushing it to the back of the drawer. She climbed back into her bed, curling into a tight ball.

And slowly, so slowly, she fell asleep, the pain in her head subsiding until the next waking nightmare.

**12 years later.**

Alice traced patterns in the thin layer of mist that had settled on the bus window. She put her finger to her lips and sucked off the droplets of water. Then she leaned her head against the window, dampening her short hair.

The bus rattled along down the nearly empty country roads, a discrepancy in the calm atmosphere of the surrounding forest.

_Just like me._

Alice thought, a melancholy haze tinting her mind. Alice didn't have anywhere to go. Heck, she didn't even have anywhere to come from. She'd turned eighteen yesterday, and she'd checked herself out of the mental facility.

She'd been a good little girl, taking her medication and lying. Because that's what the doctors wanted to hear.

Lies.

They didn't want to know the agony Alice was going through, or the deep depression that pulled her under every now and then. They wanted to hear that she was improving, that her "visions" were going away, chased out of her system by the many brightly colored pills. And that was what Alice told them. They didn't bother to hunt for the truth, to make sure she really was okay before sending her into the public.

She was just another splotch on the canvas of civilization.

She didn't have any family that wanted her, so they just let her go.

Alice spotted a barn out of the bus window, and she jumped up, yelling to the driver to stop there. She shuffled down the isle and off the bus, the moisture from the blades of grass seeping through her tattered sneakers. She blinked and squinted through the rain, it was coming down hard. The barn was rotting, dilapidated, and absolutely deserted.

Alice smiled.

She scampered in out of the rain and found a spot where the roof wasn't leaking. Then she curled up on the soft dirt and slipped into a light sleep, sighing in relief that she'd gone the whole morning without a vision.

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She woke to the sound of crickets.

The barn was pitch black.

She listened to the sound of nature's musicians, smiling softly. She had missed that sound for so many years. She'd always replay it in her mind in the hospital, trying to lull herself to sleep, but she didn't do it justice.

But then she froze as a sense of foreboding washed over her. She waited in tense apprehension for the accompanying vision, but it never came.

She let out the breath she'd been holding in a big whoosh.

But the feeling was still there. Like someone was watching her.

She silently crept out of the barn, looking around nervously. She prayed it was just an animal.

Then she felt breathing on the back of her neck. A tingling feeling of pure terror spread through her small body as she gasped.

She started to scream, but a rough hand clasped over her mouth, abruptly cutting off all sound.

She whimpered.

Whoever was behind her started to drag her forcefully across the meadow as she kicked and thrashed. As they began to enter the woods, she felt something pinch her upper arm, then everything went black.


	2. The Edge of Insanity

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight!**

Alice opened her eyes to darkness. She was flat on her stomach, her wrists bound behind her back. Rough ridges were digging into her torso and there was a thick layer of something on her tongue.

All of her instincts were screaming at her to yell and thrash, but the coherent part of her mind warned her that might not be a good idea. She swallowed thickly, trying to quickly think things through.

She was in an enclosed space, a strong smell of diesel fuel layered the ground. She guessed it was the back of a pickup truck. She couldn't see anything, the combination of the dark fog and her face being pressed against the ground made that impossible.

So she decided to try her other senses. She closed her eyes and listened. A few seconds later the sound of masculine voices reached her ears.

"What the hell Emmett? You knocked her out? What the hell is wrong with you? Don't you understand that every second counts here?" Edward snarled, his voice pure undiluted acid.

"I'm sorry boss, but she was lethal! You should of seen her thrashing and kicking, I thought she was gonna knock my teeth in!" Emmett shouted, his voice rising an octave from nerves.

Edward just growled, seething.

"She's tiny Emmett, she couldn't weigh more than 105. Are you going soft on me? Because now is not the time."

"Sorry boss."

"Screw you Emmett, just go see if she's awake." Alice heard heavy footsteps.

She held her breath, chanting again and again to herself that she could handle whatever was coming.

It couldn't be worse than a vision.

Suddenly the tailgate fell open and the blinding ray of a flashlight beamed in. She blinked against it, trying to get a look at the person holding it.

"Come over here." a deep menacing voice commanded.

Alice decided to test the waters.

"No." she said, her voice hard.

"I said come over here." the voice hissed.

"And I said no." she replied, her voice sounding no where near as threatening as she meant it to.

She heard a loud thud as the man jumped onto the tailgate. She rolled to the back, curling up into a tight ball.

A strong hand grabbed her bound wrists roughly, tugging her back to the front. He dropped her onto the dirt, towering above her with dark eyes. Alice spit out the dirt that had gotten into her mouth, looking up at the intimidating man.

"Now little girl, you need to learn to listen or this is never going to work." Emmett threatened, balling his fists. Alice just nodded, her courage fading out like a flimsy flame.

Just then Edward strode around the corner, glaring at them with hard eyes.

"Pick her up and bring her over here Emmett." Edward ordered.

Emmett grabbed Alice by the back of her shirt, towing her around the truck and tossing her onto an old picnic bench.

She narrowed her eyes, tiring quickly of being tossed around like a rag doll.

"Emmett, round up Jasper and Rosalie and go scout out the area. I have business to attend to."

Emmett nodded, and Alice's eyes followed him carefully as he strode off into the forest, his deep voice echoing off the trees as he called out unfamiliar names.

Then her eyes shifted to Edward.

He paced back and forth a few times, then sat down onto the bench fluidly.

Alice was terrified.

She had spent more than enough time in the mental hospital to know when someone was unstable. And when she looked into Edward's wild, turbulent eyes, she knew he wasn't okay. He was perched precariously close to the edge of a cliff. But what scared Alice the most was she had no idea what would push him off into insanity.

Alice gathered up her frayed courage and tried to speak.

"What to you want from me?" she murmured.

Edward smiled.

It wasn't a happy smile. It wasn't even a cheerless smile. It was the kind of smile one might carry out before they tore you apart.

"Oh Alice. Alice, Alice, Alice. I need something that only you can give me. Information." he stated, his voice dangerously even.

"I don't know anything. I've been inside almost my whole life." Alice said, a little more confidently now that she knew he wasn't planning on killing her straight away.

"That's where you're wrong Alice. The reason you were inside you're whole life was because of this information."

Realization dawned on Alice like a ton of bricks.

She shook her head slowly and precisely, scrambling off the bench and backing up, her wrists still bound. But she couldn't seem to break eye contact with Edward. Lightning fast he was behind her, dragging her back brutally. He had no remorse when he threw her into the table, her head colliding with the grimy wood.

"Now Alice. I can make you one promise. The moment I find what I'm looking for I'll set you free. Send you scampering back to your empty life."

Alice could hear the seal of promise behind his carefully chosen words.

She nodded.

She didn't have a choice. Edward scanned her face, taking in the defeat in her stormy blue eyes.

He nodded also.

"I need you to look for someone's future. Isabella Swan's. We need to find her." Alice became worried.

"I've never actually tried to have a vision before." she murmured. Edward growled.

"Try now." he hissed.

She nodded mournfully. She laid her head down on the gritty wooden table and closed her eyes. And just like that she began her journey into hell.

Edward watched from the outside. He watched as her eyes fluttered open against her will. He watched as the soul and life deserted her wide eyes, and they became as blank as a corpse.

He smiled.

On the inside Alice was soaring through empty skies, colorless mountains shaping the imaginary ground. Then she was falling. An image blew up in front of her, taking up the forefront of her world.

She was in a dark room. A young woman was slumped in the corner, blood dripping down her face from her nose and mouth. Dark bruises covered her fair face, and one of her legs looked twisted. She moaned quietly, murmuring one word over and over.

Alice tried to tune in on it. She was saying Edward's name.

The door flew open and three tall figures stepped in. One was holding a candle, and with the flickers of light she could make out it was one woman and two men. As soon as they entered the young woman stopped moaning and stiffened. Her eyes became steely as she glared at the with hatred.

She was trying to play tough. But Alice knew the truth.

The man said something calmly. Deadly calm.

She saw one of the men reach out to back hand her as she spit out a nasty remark, but the vision was fading quickly.

It was like the dials on a radio being switched, the sound dulled out first.

Then she felt a strong force rip her from the scene and she was again falling.

But this time when she landed, it hurt.

Edward watched closely as she started to scream. She threw herself backward off the bench. She tried to grip her head with her hands, but they were tied tightly behind her back. She rubbed her face into the ground, whimpering. Then she became still. Edward strode over, flipping her onto her back.

"Where are they?" he snarled. "What did you see?"

"It hurts." Alice groaned, her voice a whisper.

"Answer me Alice!" He watched in awe as Alice squeezed her eyes shut, gathering every ounce of strength in her tiny body.

"He had a southern accent." she whispered. Edward smiled.

"Go to sleep now Alice. We'll need to do this again tomorrow."

And with that he ran off to find his allies. To tell them they were heading south.

**A/N: Please Review! Next chapter means…Jasper!**


	3. Simple, Pure, Breathtaking

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

"**Love is a deep well from which you may drink often, but into which you may fall but once."**

**-Ellye Howell Glover**

"**You held out your hand, and I took it without stopping to make sense of what I was doing. For the first time in almost a century, I felt hope." **

**Stephenie Meyer- Eclipse**

Alice was once again enclosed in the back of the pickup truck. She laid on her side, scowling at the particles of dirt and dust. She was trying to keep her mind wheeling and planning to keep the looming sense of panic from taking over her senses.

She was planning an escape.

She thought through endless scenarios and circumstances, attempting to make everything infallible. But she had no idea where they were heading, not remembering a single detail of the agonizing hours after the vision.

However, she did remember the vision itself. And what she had seen scared her. Was Edward planning on hurting this poor woman? Was he planning on kidnapping her too? Who were the other people there?

Alice didn't have any answers.

And that was unsettling.

Despite detesting the painful visions, she had always enjoyed the side effects of them. The almost flawless sense of certainty about things she'd had her whole life.

In fact, one of her favorite pastimes at the hospital had been gambling with the other patients. But in this instance, she couldn't feel that extra sense.

The truck came to a stop. She flinched as the tailgate dropped open and she heard Emmett's booming, nerve-racking voice permeate the air. She knew what was coming. She reluctantly rolled out of the truck bed, dropping gracefully onto the ground.

Emmett nodded at her, untying her wrists. She flexed her hands gratefully, trying to get the blood rushing back.

"Thank you." Alice murmured.

"No problem." Emmett muttered. But then he prodded her in the back with his elbow.

"Get going. Edward wants to see you." Alice sighed, nodding sullenly.

She glanced around her surroundings, noting that they were once again in the middle of the woods. A jagged dirt path led out of the large clearing they were in. Alice wondered idly how they managed to drive the truck down the trail without bouncing Alice into a milkshake in the truck bed. It had actually been a fairly smooth ride.

The clearing they were in looked as if it had been used as a campsite for some stray hikers. There were scattered patches of wildflowers that Alice would have loved to wander through, if not for the circumstances. Instead she just plopped down in the tall grass, leaning back and preparing for the oncoming torture.

She stared at the clouds for a few minutes before she heard Edwards velvet voice slice through the natural silence of the meadow.

"Hello Alice, this is Jasper. He might be able to help you."

She glanced up, expecting to meet Edward's eyes, but instead seeing someone else.

Behind Edward, stood another man.

He was tall and lean, with dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She had caught his eye.

Alice felt her world shift.

It wasn't one of those classic romantic movie moments, it wasn't sappy or picture perfect.

It just….was.

Before it was Alice.

Now it was Alice and Jasper.

Simple.

Pure.

Breathtaking.

She saw the shocked look of untainted conviction wash across his features.

She was home.

Alice raised the corners of her mouth almost imperceptibly. Jasper mirrored the motion.

They shared a secret smile, just the two of them.

But their private bubble burst as Edward continued his sentence, oblivious to the phenomenon that had just occurred right in front of him.

"Jasper has a special ability. He might be able to cure some of the pain that comes with your visions. Although you should know, it was his idea, not mine. He's always the sentimental one." Edward finished with a sneer.

But Alice could tell his malicious behavior was covering up a much deeper emotion. But she wasn't sure what emotion it was.

"Jasper, go find Rosalie, she off in the woods somewhere. I want everyone here for our next step in the plan." Alice swallowed thickly, aware that the next step most likely included another vision. Edward started to turn around, but then he paused.

"And take the girl with you, I don't want to baby-sit her. Don't let her get away." Jasper nodded, calm and collected on the exterior.

But Alice perceived the waves of anticipation roaring behind his ocean blue eyes. Alice trudged over to Jasper, having to work hard to make her movements look reluctant. When all she really wanted to do was run into his arms and never leave. Jasper turned and started to stride in the wood line, Alice following close on his heels.

When they were safely away from Edwards's watchful eyes, Jasper turned to Alice and gently took her hand, a rare smile forming on his lips.

"You felt that too right?" Alice breathed, her voice a sigh. Jasper just nodded. Then Alice furrowed her eyebrows.

"Why are you with them? Who are they?" All of the panic Alice had worked to put to the back of her mind came flooding back.

Her heart fully accepted Jasper already, but her mind was having trouble catching up.

"I'll explain while we search for Rosalie." Jasper promised.

"Ok."

Alice took in the sound of Jasper's deep, warm voice. It reminded her of the wilderness. Jasper took in the sound of Alice's musical, melodic voice, the way it was almost like singing. He thought it sounded like an instrument so beautiful it was not yet discovered on this planet.

They began a brisk pace through the shadowy forest, the birds chirping through the canopy of leaves.

"Now, where should I start?" Jasper asked quietly, his muted voice blending seamlessly into the encroaching forest.

"How did they know about me?" Alice asked, her voice just as quiet.

She could sense Jasper would catch every word. Their ears were meant to hear the other's voice. And their voices were made to blend and twist around each others.

Perfectly balanced.

"Edward is aware of the talents of some people. The talents that most of the world mistakes for mental illnesses. I'm not saying there aren't mental illnesses, just that there are a few special cases. Edward needed to find something. Desperately. So he searched through the records and found you, knowing you could help him." Jasper's muted voice went steely towards the end.

Alice heard the infinitesimal change.

"Jasper, if Edward didn't kidnap me, I wouldn't have met you today." Alice reminded him softly.

He didn't have an answer for that.

"So, what was Edward saying about you?" she asked. Jasper switched his gaze from Alice's face to his threadbare shoelaces.

"I have an talent too. I can manipulate emotions. And feel them." Jasper murmured.

Alice reached out and gently put her finger under Jasper's chin, bringing his anxious face level with her concerned one. Their blue eyes met and Jasper's angst disappeared in the wake of Alice's emotions.

"Jasper, you can't chase me away. I promise." Alice stated. Jasper grinned, nodding.

He was mystified that he already wholly trusted this bizarre, physic young woman. But he wouldn't change it for the world. Alice started to ask another question, but Jasper cut her off my placing his calloused finger to her soft lips.

"I'll explain more later, but I hear Rosalie." he whispered.

Alice nodded, reading the distrust in his eyes as Rosalie's name rolled off his tongue. Even though she hadn't even seen Rosalie yet, Alice couldn't wait to once again be alone with Jasper.

She tried to convince herself that every thing would get better now that she had him.

But that fluttering feeling in the back of her mind warned her that the trouble had only just begun.

**A/N: Hello! Thank you to everyone that added this story to their alerts. I would love to hear what you think about it, so if you get a chance, leave a review! :)**


	4. Frustration

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**A/N: Hmm...I think this was the easiest chapter to write so far. I hope you like it!!! Thank you to everyone that reviewed/ added this story to their alerts or favorites, it really makes my day. So...if you get a chance....please review!**

"If you can't get someone off your mind, they're probably supposed to be there."

-Unknown

Rosalie slipped silently through the trees.

Her blonde hair was tied up into a carefully constructed ponytail, and her jeans and t-shirt were dirty and torn.

Her carefully tuned ears zoomed in on the sound of Emmett's breathing close by. She molded her body against the back of the tree, refusing to have him jump out and surprise her. In a flash she was climbing the mossy tree, expertly placing her manicured fingers on the right branches, silent as a fox. From her perch she spotted Emmett sneaking around below.

She flung herself from the tree, landing lightly at his side. His fighting instincts kicked in and he swung a blind punch, Rosalie ducked it effortlessly, laughing quietly.

"You big moron" she whispered affectionately, her voice seductive.

He grinned his adorable grin. The one that entirely contradicted his size. With a straight face he could send people running for their lives, but if they saw him smile, they would never believe his tough-guy charade for a moment.

But Rosalie never had.

She softly caressed his face, feeling the short stubble on his chin from the days of not shaving. She wound her arms around his neck, placing a soft kiss to his exposed skin. She lightly bit down, teasing him.

But, instead of moving to his mouth like she normally would, she turned and fled.

"I'll see you later, baby." she called carelessly over her shoulder.

Because she was frustrated.

Frustrated at the filthy forest that they had been spending way too much time in, frustrated at Edward, frustrated at Jasper, pretty much frustrated at everything.

But most of all, she was frustrated at Emmett.

He had promised her that this would be a temporary situation. That they just needed to save up some money, then they could move into a quiet neighborhood, get married, and start a family. That's all Rosalie ever wanted. To live a normal life with Emmett.

But instead she was yanked into this nightmare.

At first it wasn't so bad, being Edward's henchmen. Edward and his wife were small time crooks, they'd somehow got caught in some kind of deal with a shady organization.

The Volturi.

Money was exchanged, promises broken, and Edward and his wife found themselves in debt to them. They had recruited Emmett and Rosalie for help with the not-so-legal dealings the Volturi had them responsible for. Emmett was desperate for cash, so he agreed he'd help for a few months.

Then they found Jasper. Things got more complicated. He had some kind of power, and Edward was fascinated by it. He'd thought his wife was the only one with a power. He swindled Jasper into helping him also.

So then there was five.

Jasper was always moody, it took tons of convincing to get him to help with the dealings. But, Edward found his talent useful for swaying people's decisions. So Jasper stayed. Things went even farther downhill.

Edward made a bad decision concerning a smaller organization. Made them lose heaps of money.

Then his wife disappeared. He put two and two together.

Rosalie was snapped out of her thoughts as the bushes rustled, revealing Jasper and that physic. Rosalie caught a glimpse of some foreign emotion in Jasper's eyes, but he quickly covered it up. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Edward wants everyone there for the next step." Jasper informed her sharply. Rosalie nodded stiffly, turning away and sprinting through the shadowy forest like a bullet.

Alice turned to look at Jasper.

"You two don't get along." Alice stated flatly. Jasper shook his head.

"No we don't." he agreed.

Alice's eyes became probing. Jasper felt entirely exposed as her eyes slid over his face, soaking in every thought and feeling. It would have been terrifying, had it not been Alice doing it. He'd never met anyone that understood him in the least.

Emotions were his forte, and he'd assumed that the price for that was having no one understand his.

But Alice did.

He could feel it, deep in his bones, in his most primal senses.

He could feel it.

Then, as swiftly as it began, it ended.

Alice's all knowing eyes dropped, inspecting a bug crawling nonchalantly across the vibrant leaves. She tilted her head to the side.

"That is one weirdly colored beetle." she commented lightly, like nothing happened. Jasper grinned, nodding in agreement.

Then Jasper felt Alice's swift change in emotion. Or rather, lack of emotion. Her eyes went blank and her feelings went numb.

"Let's get going." she said, her voice a blank monotone.

Jasper didn't like seeing Alice like that, blocking her feelings. He wanted her to be her bubbly, energetic self that he had only caught a glimpse of.

He wanted her to be Alice.

His emotions flattened out parallel with hers. Almost like they were bound together.

They began a lifeless walk back to the clearing. As they entered it, they saw everyone gathered around the edges. Edward motioned Alice forward.

"Alice, see if you can narrow down where your vision takes place to a smaller area." Edward commanded.

She nodded, her face still emotionless.

Standing alone, in the middle of the field, she closed her deep blue eyes.

Jasper watched in fear as he witnessed Alice's eyes fly open, all signs of life gone. Her tiny body was rigid, her petite fists clamped together at her sides. He fought off impulses to run to her, biting down on his lip and clasping his hands together so tightly he was losing feeling in them.

Inside Alice's mind, she was once again falling. This time she tried to focus on one of the captors of Isabella Swan, sensing that being brought back to that dark room would do her no good.

She was dropped onto an old dirt road. It was in the middle of nowhere, and as far as Alice looked both ways, she could see no signs of life. Then she heard the roar of an engine. Only it was more like a purr. A sleek black car sped past her, the gleam of the sun reflecting off the shiny paint job. A stream of deep red hair blew out the window, flying in the wind. Alice recognized that hair from the last vision. In a split second the car was gone, leaving a cloud of dust.

But she didn't need the car to find out anything.

Because directly across from her, was sign.

Alice gasped softy when she read it.

Biloxi, Mississippi.

Her home town.

The dials turned and the sound faded from her pounding eardrums, the image blurring into incomprehensible shapes.

Alice began to fall.

Jasper's ears perked up as he heard Alice's sharp intake of breath. All at once he hurtled all of the calm, peaceful emotions he could muster up at his Alice. It didn't even make a dent. Jasper's ears felt as though they were bleeding as Alice's piercing scream sliced the open air. He put everything he had into his gift, launching buckets of tranquil feelings at her, and he felt his energy draining.

Soon, he felt his face against the rough patch of dirt where the truck's tires had left their marks. He fought to stay awake, knowing that if he fell asleep, things could get much worse for his Alice.

He had his duty.

The one he'd had even before he'd met Alice. If he couldn't keep Alice protected from her own mind, he would keep her protected from Edward's.


	5. Spark of Rebellion

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**A/N: Hello! Thank you to everyone that reviewed! I was rereading the last chapter and I realized I accidentally slipped into 1****st**** person point of view for a couple of lines, so I want to apologize for that. So…I hope you like it!**

Jasper heaved himself to his feet, still fighting against his clouded mind. Gathering up a handful of energy, he tried to speak, but just ended up letting out a strangled sob.

Edward was too busy to notice.

Alice sat on the ground, her tiny hands gripping her short locks of black hair tightly. She rocked back and forth, moaning lowly. Her plain cotton dress was rippled around her, giving the impression of green waves.

"What did you see Alice?" Edward asked harshly.

Jasper's guard went up, and he pushed away a primitive growl that was building at the back of his throat. His instinct was to protect Alice. To dash across the clearing and throw him to the ground, wrapping his deadly hands around Edward's throat.

But he resisted. Because he knew what Edward was dealing with. He could feel his emotions. So he compromised. He wouldn't strangle Edward, but he wouldn't let him speak to Alice that way either.

"Edward, let me get her to speak. I think I can calm her down now." Jasper spoke quietly, putting precision into every syllable.

Edward nodded stiffly and strode off into the woods, the preferred place of solitude when someone in their little brigade wanted to be alone. Jasper delivered dark glances to the remaining people in the field, Emmett and Rose. Emmett turned and clumped into the woods without comment, but Rosalie shot the glare right back at him. Then her face cleared and she looked at Jasper curiously, before turning on her heel and jogging in after Emmett.

As soon as the sound of their footsteps faded Jasper darted straight to Alice, dropping down on his knees beside her. He wrapped his long arms around her, pulling her onto his lap.

She stopped moaning the second their skin made contact. She looked up at him curiously, her eyes ringed with exhaustion.

"It doesn't hurt as bad." she whispered.

"What do you mean Alice?" Jasper asked, but he already knew. He could feel the pain slowly drain from her. Now her emotions showed signs of a dull ache instead of the needle sharp pain from before.

"What are you doing?" Alice asked.

"Nothing. I'm not doing anything." Jasper answered.

Alice just nodded as if this all made perfect sense. Jasper was still reeling. Then he coughed, remembering what he was supposed to do.

"What did you see?" he asked gently, making his words as soft as possible.

He knew Alice was scared.

"They're in Biloxi." she answered simply, tracing a pattern on the soft grass.

"Oh."

Without further comment Jasper stood up, rubbing the dirt off his jeans. He held out a calloused hand for Alice. She grasped it tightly, pulling herself to her feet.

She tried to take a step forward, but her legs gave out, sending her stumbling. Jasper grabbed onto her waist, pulling her close before scooping her up in his arms.

"Dizzy?" Jasper asked worriedly, a deep frown set on his face.

"Yeah." Alice answered, trying to give Jasper a tired smile. It looked more like a grimace. He just raised his eyebrows before gently laying her down in the front seat of the pickup.

"Now Alice, don't go trying to make a grand escape without me." Jasper teased, trying to calm her nerves.

"Hmm…I don't think I'd make it more than two steps this weak." she acknowledged.

Jasper nodded. She had a point.

He wiped a few strands of her hair from her clammy face, feeling his emotions drop steeply.

He hated seeing Alice so sick.

He'd lived without her for twenty three years, but never in all that time had he ever felt so helpless. Not when he'd watched who he thought to be the love of his life walk away from him without a backward glance. Not even when he was being forced to fight for that vile, inhumane army. Of course, both of those things were connected. He quickly brushed off those thoughts.

But Alice had already caught some of them.

"Jasper, you made the headaches go away. That's more then I ever could of asked for. You're incredible." she murmured, and even if he couldn't feel the honest tenor to her emotions, her voice was pure truth. He could never doubt her.

He mustered up a smile for his Alice, before leaning down to kiss the top of her head lightly. Then he froze, realizing what he'd done. It had felt so natural, so right, that he hadn't even questioned the thought of the subtle show of affection. Alice just smiled.

"Sleep well, Alice." he murmured. She closed her all knowing eyes. He turned and started walking.

"Jasper?" she called out, her voice questioning.

"Yes?" he murmured, walking back over to the truck window.

"What did you mean when you said to not try to make an escape…without you?" Jasper bit his lip.

"I want to get you out of here Alice." he whispered, his voiced laced with pain and shame. Pain for Alice's hurt and terror from the visions. Shame at the thought of betraying Edward.

Alice's weary eyes widened, her heart rate speeding up in sync with her rapid breathing.

"Calm down Alice, you're too tired to think about it right now. We'll talk in the morning. I would never decide anything without your consent." he whispered soothingly.

She pursed her lips, but reluctantly closed her eyes. Jasper stayed positioned there until he heard her breathing even out. With a deep sigh he turned and made his way into the woods. He stomped through the undergrowth, not bothering to mute his heavy footsteps. His emotions swirled, put he ignored them, focusing on finding Edward.

He spotted him leaning up against a partially rotten tree. He stayed hidden in the shadows for a moment longer, making sure his breathing was in check.

Then Edward suddenly lashed out, swinging a sure fist, which collided soundly with the decayed tree. It fell to the ground with a muted thud. Like a fallen warrior.

Edward swung again, unleashing his anger on the helpless trees. He connected his fist with another rotten one, but felt no relief as it toppled to the ground.

He wanted pain.

His eyes darted around, searching for a solid surface. He found a sturdy oak and rammed into it, his shoulder stinging from impact. He smiled. He punched it, relishing the throb of his fist as it slammed into the unyielding bark. He felt is knuckles crunch, and he savored the sound, soaking it in. With one last punch for good measure, he dropped to the ground, burying his face in his hands.

For a brief moment he remembered how he used to bury his face in his wife Bella's hair, inhaling the sweet small of strawberries, and chuckling along with one of her crazy jokes.

Pain stabbed through him, but not physical pain. His heart was in shreds. The physical pain could never fight the other pain off for more then a few minutes, but it didn't stop him from trying. He felt anger, then crushing sadness, his mood swings leaving his mind a step behind.

He could just imagine what Bella would say, how she would tease him and tell him to lighten up, to live. But he couldn't live without her. He roared, his voice echoing through the forest, vibrating off the trees.

Then Jasper stepped out from the shadows, ghosting over and sitting down beside him. Edward felt the serenity wrap around him as Jasper used his gift more forcefully than usual. He shoved Jasper, his eyes full of hate.

"Lay off Jasper, just tell me what the girl said." he growled.

"She's in Biloxi, Edward." he stated in the calm and collected voice that Edward despised. Edward nodded stiffly, catching his breath and pulling himself to his feet.

"We'll head out now. Let's go." he stated eagerly.

So they went.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	6. A Willing Participant

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

Alice groaned, rolling over and pulling the thick comforter over her head. She curled into a tight ball, bringing her knees up to her stomach and sinking farther into the soft bed.

Then she froze.

_Bed?_

Her eyes flew open and she leapt up, looking around in a daze. For a split second she almost believed it was all a dream, that she was still safe in the hospital, not yet eighteen years old. Then she realized it wasn't the hospital, it was a hotel room.

She sighed, her moment of optimism crushed out like an old cigar. But she was surprised to find she wasn't actually disappointed, she was…pleased. The mental facility may hold safety within its walls, but it didn't hold Jasper. And that was almost absurd to think about, a place with Alice should always include Jasper. It was just…fitting.

Accurate.

Alice stretched her back, noting that most of the spasms that came along with sleeping on the rough ridges of the pickup's back were muted from the soft bed. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings.

She was always more comfortable when she knew the facts.

Who, where, why, when, and how.

It was another side affect of her "gift", she felt trapped and insecure when she wasn't aware of all the details and technicalities. She'd realized one of the things she hated most about this situation was that she wasn't in control, and she definitely wasn't in the loop of information. She was just a instrument to Edward.

She sighed, looking around once more. The walls were painted a pale green and the carpet was a pale yellow. As her eyes adjusted better to the low lights she registered that everything in the room was pale, like the color had drained out of it, leaving a ghost of it behind. She rubbed at her eyes and meandered into the bathroom, leaning up against the tiled counter, frowning as she noticed that even her reflection in the mirror was colorless and dull, weary even.

Her eyes were dark with bags under them that gave the impression of being permanently etched onto her fair skin. Her dark hair was matted, sticking up in some places and plastered down in others. She sighed again. Her looks had always been important to Alice even though she'd had no one to dress up for. She just loved the feeling of it, the routine.

She wandered back out to the other room, trying to turn the doorknob, it was locked.

She already knew it would be.

Someone was probably sitting outside it right now. She hoped it was Jasper. Taking one last longing look at the closed door, she went to take a shower. The warm water relaxed her slightly, clearing her drowsy mind. She relished the smell of the hotel shampoo, giving her hope that maybe things were still normal in some ways.

They sure didn't seem normal.

Stepping out of the shower she dried off, slipping on her old green dress. The material was scratchy, but she didn't need to worry about it tearing easily. Then she sat on the bed and waited.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jasper slunk down the hallway, praying that everyone else was still sleeping. He undid the makeshift lock on the outside of Alice's door, and entered quietly. He turned to close it, but a sharp intake of breath startled him. He felt slender arms wrap around his waist. He smiled, turning back and hugging his Alice close to his chest. Her eyes were teary but resigned. He sat down on the bed, pulling her onto his lap.

"Let's go." he whispered.

"What? Now?" Alice stammered. He nodded.

"If you want to."

"I want to." she whispered in a small voice. "But do you?"

"That doesn't matter Alice, I can't see you in pain, see you kept here against you're will." he murmured. Alice bit her lip.

"Tell me one thing." she mumbled.

"Anything, Alice."

"Why is Edward looking for that woman? Isabella? Was he going to hurt her?" Jasper's face dropped, leaving an expression of ancient sadness.

"No, she's his wife. His love. Pretty much his everything."

"They…kidnapped his wife?" Alice asked, her musical voice cracking. Jasper nodded. Alice buried her face in her hands.

"Dammit." she snarled.

"What?" he asked, alarmed at her hostility.

"Now I can't leave. We need to find her."

"Alice…."

"Don't bother Jasper, I can't leave now, I know how it feels to be held against your will. But I don't know how it feels to be away from your true love." she trailed her fingers lightly down Jasper's arm.

"And I don't want to find out." she whispered.

"Alice…I don't think you understand how…unstable…Edward is right now. Since the moment Bella went missing I've been sending low doses of composure at him all day, everyday. I'm fairly sure it's the only thing keeping him from going completely ballistic on himself and us. " Alice pursed her lips.

"Jasper, believe me, I understand. I lived in a mental hospital for twelve years, I know when someone isn't thinking clearly." she stated, her voice firm. She wished he would have a little faith in her, she'd been through a lot already without him. But as that thought slithered through her mind she subconsciously tightened her solid grip on his arm.

Jasper swallowed thickly.

"So there's no possible way I could talk you out of it?" he stated, downcast and feeling like he failed her. She took his face in her hands, searching his deep blue eyes for their special link that had enveloped her the first time their eyes met. She found it easily, sitting back with a satisfied smile.

"You could effortlessly talk me out of it, or even just use your gift, but I know you won't. And I don't even need my sense of premonition for that." she stated, not a hint of uncertainty to be found. Jasper smiled slightly, knowing she was right. He would never try to sway her reasoning, he trusted her.

They heard a rough knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" a gruff voice asked uneasily.

"Yeah Emmett." Jasper called, shifting Alice so they were sitting next to each other. The door creaked open and Emmett's huge frame filled the doorway.

"We're leaving. Five miles till Biloxi." he informed us. Jasper saw Alice go pale and stiffen beside him, anticipating another vision soon. He leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"I'll be right there with you Alice. Tell me if you changed your mind." Alice just shook her head.

"Jasper?" Emmett asked curiously. He cleared his throat.

"Nothing Emmett." Emmett began to make his way over to Alice, rope in hand.

"That won't be necessary." she stated in her melodic voice. "I'm a willing participant now." Emmett looked dumbfounded.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I won't run away. I want to help." she said patiently. He shot Jasper a questioning look.

"You heard her Emmett." Jasper stated, not patient. Emmett just raised his eyebrows.

"What's up with you two?" he asked suspiciously. They both shrugged. Only in a situation as weird as theirs would no one have noticed before. Emmett just shook his head.

"Whatever. Come on." They all headed out to the pickup truck. Edward was in the passenger seat, features stormy but with a hint of hope underneath the anguish. They were close to finding Bella. Rosalie was in the middle, her beautiful face stoic. Emmett hopped in the drivers seat, starting up the engine. Alice scampered in the back seat with Jasper, happy to not be cooped up in the truck bed with the tarp over it.

She sent a smile toward Edward. He glowered back, his expression suspicious.

They drove for a half an hour, then Alice spotted a sign on the side of the road. A potent wave of déjà vu washed over her. It was the same sign as in her vision. No matter how much she expected it and understood it, she always felt a creepy sensation as she relived something from a vision.

They pulled off onto a trail and once again found themselves in the soothing confines of the forest. They got out of the truck, and Edward turned to Alice, nodding once.

She nodded back and closed her eyes, building up her courage. And then she fell into the vision, landing in the midst of another portion of woods, similar to the one she had just occupied. The one her body was still in. She sprinted down a empty road, aware that she only had a limited amount of time in this uncanny vision-world. A few seconds later she spotted a road sign. She quickly memorized the name and kept running, and soon she glimpsed the outline of a small cabin.

She jogged toward the door, but something blocked her, keeping her from getting within five feet of it. It was almost like an invisible shield, preventing her from entering the cabin. She only had a second to ponder it before the dials turned and she was crashing back into the present.

Through the blinding pain, she felt Jasper's strong arms wrap around her tenderly and the pounding in her head receded a little, allowing her to open her tired eyes. He helped her slowly to the ground, her knees were too weak for her to handle it by herself. Jasper dropped down next to her, keeping them connected by their hands desperately gripping each others. Edward sent them a guarded glance before striding forward.

"Alice?" he asked darkly.

"I know the road they're on, I used to ride my bike there when I was little. They're on a turn off that goes pretty far in the woods, in a cabin." Alice informed him dutifully. Edward nodded swiftly, taking off toward the truck.

"Come on." he stated quietly, but it was as much a command as screaming it would have been. They all filed into the truck, and Alice obediently told him the directions to the cabin.

They parked a mile away and started assembling a hasty plan, while Alice slept off the exhaustion of her vision.

The night began to encroach on them, making the already ominous forest a shadowy playing field for their plot to save Bella. Whether they made all of the right moves or all of the wrong ones, it was a dangerous situation. Jasper said a silent prayer, willing everything to turn out okay.

**A/N: Hello, I hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter I'm going to attempt to crank up the action, I think it's lacking it. Hopefully I will succeed! Anyways, please review!!! ;)**


	7. Pain

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**A/N: Okay, so I'm going to try to write this chapter so it's as comprehensible as possible, since there's going to be a lot going on. Thank you a ton to everyone that reviewed, you're awesome! So, on with the story!**

Alice and Jasper crept across the dark clearing, the moon rays washing over their nervous faces. Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward were a step behind them. The cabin was shadowy, there wasn't a light to be seen except the flicker of a candle in one of the windows.

Alice stealthily made her way up the steps, half expecting there to be the shield from her vision forcing her back. But whatever had barricaded her from the door wasn't there now. Apparently it could only stop her vision-self.

Alice's graceful steps were silent, as were Jasper's long strides. Rosalie's steps were almost ghostly, her feet seemed to barely touch the aged wood of the porch. Edward was deadly quiet. Emmett, on the other hand, was making a racket with his stomping feet. Edward sent him a glare and he muted his steps, but with much difficulty.

Alice and Jasper turned to each other, their eyes meeting. She poured every ounce of love she had into her eyes, and Jasper did the same.

And then Edward opened the door. He lunged in, feeling along the wall for a light switch. He found one a flipped it on swiftly.

But he wasn't ready for the sight before him. Bella was tied to a chair in the middle of the room, her face bruised and cut. Her leg was twisted. But that wasn't what Edward registered first. It was the look of pure terror on her wounded face.

"Run!" she screamed, her voice shrill.

Edward glanced to the right just in time to see a dark figure dive out of the shadows. He jumped out of the way, trying to get to Bella.

But then he froze.

The man strode up behind her, putting his hand to Bella's exposed throat. Edward could see the gleam of metal peeking out of the man's fist. A knife. A primal growl erupted from his chest, making its way to the back of his throat.

"James." Edward stated, his voice as sharp as chipped ice. Two more figures stepped forward. "Victoria and Laurent too, I see." James smiled.

"Edward, wonderful of you to finally show up. I've had your girl here for almost a week. She's had to endure a lot while I was waiting for you." he said, voice calm. Edward growled again.

"Don't touch her." he whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"Don't touch her!" he screamed, his nails digging into his fists, leaving blood dripping from his palms. James just raised his eyebrows.

"What do you want from me? What can I do to make you let her go?" Edward pleaded.

Jasper keeled over from the strength of Edward's pain, gasping.

"It's too late for that now, Edward, you've already ruined me. I was the head of one of the most dangerous and cunning organized crime groups of all time. You set the Volturi on me, not to mention you helped them take our money, our power, turn us into a joke. And now look at me, kidnapping your girl here just for revenge. What have I come to?" he asked in mock desperation. Then he grinned, lightly caressing Bella's cheek.

"I will admit, she put up a hell of a fight. Too bad I'll have to kill her. And probably the rest of your little posse too. You'll have their death on your conscience. If you even want to live without your sweet, sweet wife, that is." he commented, tracing Bella's neck with the tip of his knife.

Then all hell broke loose.

Edward dove for James, and they crashed into the wall, deep snarls filling the small room. The woman with crimson hair pounced tiger like from the shadows, she wrapped her arms around Emmett's neck, pressing down with her thumb. He fell unconscious.

Only then did Alice fully realize what they were up against.

Trained killers.

Rosalie's snarl filled the room next and she sprang onto the woman, her nails digging into her chest. They disappeared around the corner. The last member of the trio ran out, his dark eyes dangerous.

He was heading straight for Alice, since she was the first person his crazed eyes locked onto. Jasper sent Alice a panicked look before bracing himself. He emptied his face of all emotion as he jumped in front of her, pushing the man away and out the open door. The man landed a punch to Jasper's jaw. But Jasper was a trained killer too. He swung around so the other man had his back to the ground, and they tumbled down the rickety wooden steps.

"Jasper!" Alice screamed.

But he was already gone.

Through her tears she ran to Bella, her usually nimble fingers fumbling around the skillfully tied knots of rope. Bella was shaking with panic, and Alice tried her best to whisper words of comfort while she was battling her own fear. She tried to drown out Edward and James's growls, concentrating on getting Bella out safely. Or as safely as possible, since she already looked pretty injured. She untied the last knot and put her arm around Bella, hoisting her to her feet.

They wobbled unsteadily, Alice's small frame buckling under Bella's weight. Even though Bella was emaciated, looking like she hadn't eaten in days, Alice was still tinier. She though of Jasper, risking his life to save hers without a second thought, and she built up enough strength to walk shakily into one of the other rooms.

Alice set Bella carefully on the bed that took up the majority of the small room.

"Thank you." Bella whispered, her face panicked. Alice could tell Edward was as important to Bella as Jasper was to her.

MWMWMWMWWMMWMWMWMWMWMWWWW

Rosalie swung her arm back, positioning herself for a perfectly delivered hit on the lethal woman exposed face. But as she thrust her fist forward, the woman caught it effortlessly, twisting Rosalie's arm behind her back and delivering a solid hit to Rosalie's back using her knee.

Rose whimpered, falling down hard onto the ground, her chin getting caught on a chair. Blood spurted from her mouth, but she scrambled to her feet.

She could handle this.

She'd sure as hell handled worse before.

As she stood unsteadily, the woman delivered another blow to Rosalie's stomach. She bent over in pain, and Victoria took that chance to grab her arms, wrenching them behind her back.

Victoria pulled out a pair of handcuffs, a sly smirk on her cruel face. She swiftly put them on Rosalie's wrists, basking in how the sharp _click_ of the closing cuffs just felt so _right_ in her ears.

"Good thing we took these from sweet little Bella's house when we captured her. Wasn't it just so lucky that her father happened to be a cop? And she was helping her charming husband with illegal dealings right under his nose. Tsk Tsk" she laughed lightly, the airy sound making Rosalie want to choke her.

"I'll bet he's upset that all his police training can't help him now. That when it came down to what's really important to him, he was rendered useless. Unable to save his own daughter." she finished with a sneer.

Then she pushed Rosalie carelessly into the closet, locking it from the outside. That lock had been Victoria's idea also. Then she turned on her heel, walking calmly into one of the other rooms.

Rosalie seethed, slamming into the door with the full force of her body. It didn't budge. She did it again and again, and finally fell to the floor, her breathing labored and her blue eyes filled with tears. She'd never been this useless before. And she was scared for Emmett.

So scared.

He was out there unconscious, who knew what could happen?

MWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWMWWWWW

As they tumbled down the steps, Jasper's training kicked in. He rammed his knee into Laurent's chin, barely registering the drops of blood trickling down his forehead where it came in contact with the bottom step. They landed on the soft grass, and Jasper rolled, on his feet in seconds.

He was completely confident he could win this fight with ease, then get back in there and help his Alice. He had years of experience on his side, and Laurent's movement and punches were weak and flimsy.

But he wasn't ready for what came next.

A metallic click.

He turned slowly, his heart beating in his eardrums.

He came face to face with a gun.

Laurent smiled, his eyes fatal. Jasper built up his courage and willed his voice not to crack. If he died, how would he help Alice? She could be hurt right now. That thought brought the fire into Jasper's eyes, and for the first time he truly knew how Edward had been feeling for the last week. His anger boiled. How dare this man threaten his and Alice's life together when it hadn't even started yet?

"A gun? I knew you were pathetic Laurent. Took weak to fight man to man. Does James approve?" Jasper spat.

"No, James doesn't approve. He thinks using weapons against people is cheating, corrupt. But guess what Jasper? I'm not following James's every command anymore. This is my last fight with him, and I'm playing by my own rules." he stated calmly.

_The one with the gun is always calm. _Jasper though miserably.

But his well tuned eyes caught the shift of posture someone carries out right before they pull the trigger. He shot his hand forward, pulling the nose of the gun down, but it was too late. The bullet caught him in the torso.

Laurent dropped the gun, his face petrified. Jasper knew he wasn't the murdering type. Jasper grabbed the gun and shot blindly through the pain. He assumed he'd hit his mark because he heard a loud thud as a body hit the ground.

The life left Laurent's eyes, and Jasper held on, praying his wouldn't do the same.

As he drifted into unconsciousness, his last thought was a blurred memory of Alice's face.

MWMWMWMWWWWMWMWMWWW

Alice held Bella as she rocked back and forth on the edge of the bed. She was having a hard time not running out the door to make sure Jasper was alright, but she knew Bella needed her, she couldn't just leave her stranded in here with a broken leg. She whispered words consolingly, but it wasn't making much of a difference since her voice kept cracking and shaking.

Then Alice felt a sense of foreboding wash over her and she swallowed thickly.

Someone was coming.

"Bella, go to the other side of the bed." she whispered quietly. Bella gave her a confused look, but obeyed, crawling slowly to the other side.

Alice stood up, her knees wobbling from terror. Her chest felt tight. Then the door swung open. Victoria. She smiled at Alice, but it was a malicious smile. She rolled her shoulders back, like this was some kind of sick wrestling match. Alice fought the impulse to cower, and stood straight, putting all of the anger she could into her eyes.

It was difficult, Alice usually tried to find the best in people, and forgave almost instantly when she was upset.

Victoria thrust out her lethal fist, but at the last second Alice's extra sense fluttered in the back of her mind, telling her which direction to step. She stepped gracefully to the left, the woman's fist missing her jaw by an inch.

Victoria hissed. She stared to throw more punches, with Alice neatly dodging them all.

Then Alice heard a gunshot.

She froze, fear washing away all traces of satisfaction she had for winning against Victoria. She felt a fist connect with her shoulder, a sharp cracking sound filling the room. She shook her head, trying to clear it, but all she could think about was Jasper.

The punches were coming fast and her head was muddled. She couldn't feel the fluttering as much, and she was getting hit with as many punches as she was blocking. Her tiny body was beaten, and standing was becoming as hard as running a thirty mile marathon.

Through her lightheadedness she heard a muffled banging moving across the wooden floor. Victoria was too distracted to notice. Bella, her eyes dark and full to the brim with hate, came up behind Victoria. She lifted a pipe over her head, bringing it down hard. Victoria fell.

Then Bella started to sob, sliding down the wall. Alice crawled over to her, burying her face in Bella's bloody shirt.

MWMWMWMWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWMWMMWWW

Edward's mind was stuck on repeat. Through his blind fury only one comprehensible thing came to the surface.

_Stop James._

And that was just what he promised to do.

Their fighting was aggressive and wild, not anything like the choreographed fights Emmett always had playing on the TV during one of his wrestling crazes. They were a blur of limbs, and when a fist came in contact with something, Edward had no sense of who's it was.

His whole life, everyone had always described Edward's fighting skills as deadly, poisonous even.

But now he had met his match.

Only one question remained, who was more motivated?

Edward did know that answer. And with one last lightning fast strike of his hand, he connected with James's jaw and sent him tumbling backwards on to the wooden floor.

He wrenched the knife blade from James's tightly clasped fist, and with a forceful jab, he ended it once and for all.

**A/N: I feel so mean ending the chapter there! But, I think the stuff that happens next need its own chapter. I'm really nervous about if I wrote this chapter okay, since it's the main action scene. There will be quite a few chapters after this, so it isn't close to the end yet. Please review! I'm so nervous!**


	8. Uncomplicated

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**A/N: Hello! I'm sorry I took so long to get this chapter posted! I really hope you like it.**

Edward stumbled into the dimly lit bedroom, his anxious eyes probing the area. He spotted Victoria, lying lifeless on the ground and another bought of hate rose up in his chest.

Then his eyes met Bella's and he felt the other half of his heart bleep back into existence, like it hadn't even been missing in the first place. He smiled the crooked smile that he could only muster up when his heart was full and happy. Or, in other words, only when he was with Bella.

Her eyes lit up, but her face was still weary. Only then did Edward register the other person in the room.

Alice.

She was curled up next to Bella, her face buried in Bella's shirt and her tiny body wounded and shaking with silent sobs.

Bella sent him a pleading look. Edward ambled over to the trembling girl, overwhelmed with gratitude toward her.

How had he been so cruel to her? To everyone? They were his friend, his allies.

He had no answer.

He felt like the moment he saw his Bella's face again his mind came out of a cloud. A cloud of rage. But also a cloud of desperation. He bent down slowly, putting his hand on Alice's shoulder in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture.

She turned around to face him her wide blue eyes frightened.

"Where's Jasper?" she asked quietly. Edward furrowed his eyebrows. Why did she care about Jasper?

"I…don't know." he replied. "I'm sure he's fine, he's a trained fighter."

"I heard a gunshot." she whispered frantically, trembling more violently, her tiny hands practically jumping off of her lap where she had them clasped tightly.

Edward froze for a split second before sprinting out of the room and down the porch steps, where he thought Jasper had gone.

He froze again, his nerves turning to ice and a chill slipping down his spine. Jasper was on the ground, showing no signs of movement. Edward's breath caught and he dropped to the ground, checking his pulse. It was faint, but it was there. He let out a sigh of relief.

Then he heard a scratching sound on the porch. He turned around quickly to the sight of Alice crawling down the steps, her face panicked but determined. She pulled herself through the high grass as Edward watched in awe.

"He's alive." he informed her quietly.

"I know. I can feel it." she acknowledged. No explanation. She didn't have time.

"Please see if there's any cloths and water in that cabin?" she asked Edward, her eyes resolute. He just nodded and jogged inside.

Alice carefully unbuttoned Jasper's flannel shirt, opening up his wounded chest to the cool night air. She held her breath and looked down, fighting her urge to run back into the house and let someone else clean the wound.

But she knew Jasper would've wanted her to do it.

Only her.

She let out her breath as she surveyed the damage. It was a neat puncture, and as far as Alice could tell the bullet didn't penetrate any organs. Then again, she wasn't a doctor. But she hoped they could find one soon. He was losing a lot of blood.

She gasped as her eyes traveled to the rest of his torso. Trails of scars were running along his chest and down his arms. They looked they were from knifes of something similar. Alice's tears came faster and harder. What had her Jasper been through?

Edward came running out with a bucket of water and torn cloths. He set them down next to Alice and stepped back, watching her carefully. Alice quickly dipped the cloth in the water, dabbing cautiously at the lesion. She worked efficiently, whispering so quietly to herself that Edward couldn't understand what she was saying.

When she was finished she leaned down and kissed Jasper lightly on his dry, cracked lips.

"Jasper, now you'll have to wake up." she whispered to his limp form. "It's the only way you'll get another kiss. And I didn't want our first kiss to include one of us being unconscious, so when you wake up it'll be a clean slate, and you can impress me with your expertise, okay?" she murmured, the tears still falling from her weary eyes.

Emmett stumbled out the door, Rose clasped tightly to his side.

"We need to get him to a hospital." Rosalie stated reasonably.

"And what, Rose? Tell them we were in a gang fight in the middle of the woods and there's three dead bodies back here? I don't think so. Besides, I know a guy that can help us, off the books." Edward stated, his voice hard.

Emmett shook his head.

"Haven't we done enough illegal crap? I swear, as soon as Jasper's better me and Rosie are getting out of this crazy shit." Emmett ranted, sending a pained glance to Jasper's limp form.

Rosalie's eyes lit up.

Alice was still kneeling next to Jasper, her green dress bunched around her as she traced the contours of his face with her trembling fingers.

"Let's get going, the guy I know can fix us all up." Edward commanded. He stormed into the house, and came back out with Bella securely in his arms, a soft smile on his face despite himself. They piled into the pickup, laying Jasper down carefully on the back seat.

Edward revved the engine and sped down the dirt path, flying through the dark outlines of the many trees, their silhouettes casting eerie shadows.

Alice preferred to close her eyes rather then watch the land flashing by or look at Jasper's blank face. She bit her lip and leaned her head against the misty window, having a wave of déjà vu wash over her. It was the same thing she'd done on that bus when she'd turned eighteen.

Yet everything was so different.

She was no longer a wandering soul, her life was bound to Jasper's. Forever and always. Now she'd always have somewhere to belong. As long as Jasper held on a little longer. She prayed, willing Jasper to wake up with all of her strength.

Then she realized they'd stopped, the truck was idling quietly, pulled up against the cracked sidewalk. Alice glanced out the window. They were in what looked to be the bad area of a town. The buildings were dark and dreary, garbage littering the street and sidewalk.

"Where the hell did you bring us Edward? There's no one around here." Rosalie stated, her tone sharp. He rolled his eyes, but his face was serious.

"Come on." Emmett and Edward carried Jasper as Edward instructed Rosalie to knock on the peeled door of one of the crammed, faded buildings. She knocked twice and a man answered, keeping the chain bolt locked.

"Who's there?" he asked nervously.

"It's Edward. We need your help, Carlisle." The man reached up and unlocked the bolt, ushering us in and giving a wary glance down the street before closing and locking it again. They laid Jasper carefully down on the overstuffed couch.

The man's eyes widened as he took in Jasper's limp form.

"Edward, I asked you not to pull me into any of your conflicts anymore, you know what happened last time. I lost my medical license. I'll help this young man, put I don't want to be involved with your gang brawls."

"We're not really a gang, Carlisle." Edward muttered.

"Well, we're not exactly the girl scouts either, Edward." Emmett muttered back.

He gave him a dirty look.

Carlisle hauled a large bag out of a closet, pulling things out and setting them on a small table. A woman walked around the corner, a thick robe wrapped around her slender body. She sent them a warm smile.

"Would you folks like some tea?" she asked sweetly. They all nodded, filing into the kitchen. Except for Alice.

She sat down next to Carlisle, taking Jasper's hand in hers. Carlisle gave her a tired smile before getting to work on the wound. She wrapped her other arm around her waist, her stomach feeling hollow. She realized she hadn't eaten in two days, not since Jasper had given her whatever meager amount of food he could gather up. She reprimanded herself silently. She couldn't think about something as insignificant as food at a time like this.

She leaned back and closed her eyes again, listening to them soothing murmurs of conversation wafting out of the kitchen.

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Esme poured the tea into cups, humming softly. She turned to the guests, taking in their appearance. They looked famished. She shook her head disapprovingly and began to fix up the leftovers from their dinner last night.

"I'm Esme, by the way." she murmured, turning to the group behind her that were lounging at the table, caught up in their own thoughts. She noted their stoic expressions, and waited.

She could tell a lot about a person from the way they introduced themselves.

"I'm Edward, nice to meet you. This is Rosalie, Emmett, and Bella." he gestured toward each of them. Esme also noted how his gaze lingered upon Bella, like at any moment she might disappear.

_So, Edward's clearly the leader here_. _Authoritative, but adoring of his wife._ Esme thought to herself.

His posture and tone suggested it, not to mention the way he introduced everyone else.

Rosalie smiled briefly toward her.

_Tough on the outside but soft-hearted_ _on the inside. _Esme thought.

Emmett smiled a goofy grin, but she could still see the worry hiding behind his eyes.

_Impulsive but compassionate. _

Bella smiled timidly, giving a little wave.

_Bashful but strong when she needs to be._

Esme smiled, then shook her head, scolding herself. She was always analyzing people, relationships were very important to her. But sometimes she got carried away.

These people weren't little children she could take under her wing, they were adults, hardened from the world they'd had to deal with. The experiences they'd been through.

But that just made her nurturing instincts kick into full gear. They deserved to be taken care of for once. She bit her lip.

"You folks are welcome to stay here until your friend recovers." she murmured. Edward's eyes widened.

"Are you sure, Esme? Carlisle is still pretty angry with me." Esme nodded.

"I'll talk to Carlisle. You're welcome here." Edward smiled gratefully. Carlisle appeared in the doorway.

"Well, I've done all I can for him. I fairly sure he'll make a full recovery. I gave him some medication and moved him upstairs, so he'll be asleep for awhile." he stated, yawning hugely.

"Thank you." Edward said, his voice soft. Carlisle just nodded.

"Now, if you'll come in here I'll fix you guys up too. You look pretty shabby yourselves. Ladies first?" he asked, motioning to Rosalie.

"I already helped Alice out. But her emotional cuts are a lot worse then her physical ones right now. And that's saying something." he murmured, before turning on his heel and striding back into the living room.

Edward put his head in his hands, his mind whirling. He hadn't meant for this to happen. For the psychic to get attached to Jasper. Jasper wasn't someone that could love her back. He dug his long fingers into his temples, sighing. He'd been so oblivious for the last few weeks, what else had he missed?" As soon as Jasper woke up he'd have to talk with him. Alice didn't seem like she could take much more pain.

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Upstairs in the small bedroom, Alice laid down carefully next to Jasper on the bed. For a few hours she just ran her tiny fingers through Jasper's blonde hair, humming melodies she faintly remembered from when she was a child. But what worried her was she couldn't remember if it was her parents humming she remembered, or the soothing murmur of one of the nurse's voices. A while later she felt Jasper stir next to her, groaning quietly.

"Alice?" he whispered, his voice thick with sleep.

"I'm here." she whispered back, taking his hand in hers. A smile fluttered to his lips.

"Is Bella okay?" he asked, his voice muddled form the pain medication.

"Yes."

"Good. Edward's love for her transcends anything I've ever witnessed. Except for my love for you, that is. And amazingly, you love me. I don't know what I could've possibly done to deserve you, but hey, I'm not going to question it." Jasper murmured with a lazy grin splashed across his face.

"Good. I wouldn't of let you question it anyway. We're meant for each other. It doesn't have to be anymore complicated then that." Alice whispered, her voice the softest it had ever been.

"I love you." Jasper said, his voice muted.

"I love you too. Forever and always." And Alice watched as he fell back asleep. She smiled and began to hum again.

But this time she didn't care where she remembered it from. Jasper would be okay. That's all she needed to know.

**A/N: I think I should mention that Carlisle isn't Edward's father in this story, he's just a friend. This story won't be finished for awhile, I still have a ton of loose ends to tie up, and a bunch of things to explain. Thank you for reading! I would love to get six or seven reviews for this chapter *hint hint*, but I'll still update as soon as I can even if I don't.**


	9. Warmer than the Sun

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

**A/N: Thank you sooooo much to everyone that reviewed! You guys are awesome! Once again, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this posted. I had the flu, it was…not good. Anyways, I really hope you like this chapter!!!**

Edward paced back and forth down the narrow hallway, running his long fingers through his knotted hair. He'd just seen Alice slip into the bathroom, presumably to take a shower, and now was his chance to talk to Jasper.

He was nervous.

Jasper had never been the kind of person to talk about his feelings. He was always pleasant to other people, but he usually repelled against anyone who tried to get close to him. Edward took a deep breath and knocked on the bedroom door, muttering to himself about being a coward.

"Come in."

Edward opened the door, stepping in swiftly. He rocked on his heels for a moment before sighing and slumping down on the edge of the bed.

Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"I think Alice is becoming attached to you, Jasper." Edward said, getting straight to the point. No need for awkward small talk, neither of them would enjoy it.

"And?" Jasper prompted.

"And…what are you going to do about that? Don't break her heart Jasper, she seemed very fragile yesterday." Edward warned.

Jasper chuckled.

"This isn't funny Jasper, I think she really likes you. You should have seen her when you were unconscious. She was a wreck. Like me when Bella was missing, except instead of anger she was radiating misery." Edward said.

Jasper instantly sobered up.

"She was really that upset?" he asked quietly. Edward nodded.

"I hate that I hurt her that badly. She doesn't deserve pain." he murmured.

"Whoa, since when do you care that much about someone?" Edward asked, his eyes wide. Jasper's eyes dropped, he started to pull at the loose threads of the blanket.

"Look Edward, I love her. Don't ask how or why, it's none of your business. Just know that I'll be leaving soon. I don't want her around this craziness. And know that you are my best friend, what happened in the last few weeks didn't change that, but don't you dare think that you can use Alice's talent like that again. It scares her." Jasper finished, his voice unintentionally sharp.

Edward was speechless. Where had the calm, apathetic Jasper gone? The one who did what he had to with as little emotion as possible. The one who pushed away anyone that tried to comprehend his violent mood swings that he wasn't aware anyone else noticed. Edward didn't know. But, if Jasper loved Alice, then the least he could do to make up for hurting her was accept the changes in Jasper without any hassle.

"All right then." he stated.

Jasper grinned.

"Thanks man, I knew you'd understand."

"So, you're serious about leaving?" Edward muttered.

"Yeah. But I won't leave you hanging, if there's something you need me to do first, I'll do it." Jasper murmured. But Edward could tell he was reluctant. He shook his head.

"I'm getting out of this too man. James, Victoria, and Laurent were causing some serious problems with the Volturi, and we killed them. I'm hoping that lets me off the hook." Edward said, his voice optimistic, his eyes glazed over, thinking about starting a life with Bella without the constant threats and danger surrounding them. Always suffocating their dreams and plans. They could be free.

Jasper cleared his throat. Edward glanced over.

"Do you want help getting down stairs? Esme made a huge breakfast. She's so kind. And Carlisle seems so much more…animated when she's around. He used to be a stick in the mud, always going by the book. "

"Yeah. But when did Carlisle get married? Weren't you down here a year ago? You didn't say anything about it then." Jasper asked. Edward shrugged.

"I guess it was recent. But…there was always a nurse that he would prattle on and on about. That's probably her." Jasper nodded, sitting up.

They made their way downstairs slowly, Jasper relying heavily on Edward to keep him standing and not falling forward and landing sprawled out on the wooden stairs. They finally stumbled into the kitchen, and Jasper slumped down on a chair.

"Whew, that was hard work." he muttered.

Then he felt a whisper wrap around him, love and gentleness leaking out from its spindly tendrils. Alice. He felt her walk up behind him, wrapping her slender arms around his neck and caressing his chin. For a brief moment he was embarrassed about the rough stubble that was surely covering his jaw line, then he remembered who was touching him. His Alice wouldn't be bothered by something as trivial as that.

He sighed contentedly, pressing his lips to her soft hand. She bent down to kiss the top of his head and then his neck, he felt her smile against the skin there.

"Good morning." her harmonious voice whispered in his ear.

"Good morning." he replied, his gravelly voice so distinctly different, yet perfectly accurate to balance out hers.

She danced around the chair so she was in front of him, her face bright with enthusiasm at seeing Jasper out of the small bedroom. Jasper looked at her glowing face, her emotions warming him more thoroughly then the sun ever had a wish to.

Her climate of emotions was like living in a paradise, one that just the two of them could ever experience.

Her dark hair was still damp from the shower and her eyes were cheerful. He opened his arms and she climbed swiftly but gently onto his lap, cautiously avoiding the area where the thick bandage was visible through his thin cotton shirt. She smiled softly. Jasper heavily breathed in her sweet scent of lavender shampoo, along with something that was distinctly Alice. It wasn't a scent really, just a lingering promise of something on her skin. A promise of sincerity and love. Simple, no smoke and mirrors. Jasper wondered briefly if he was the only one that could detect it.

Someone cleared their throat. Jasper glanced up, raising his eyebrows at everyone staring at them. Edward's face was neutral, having already decided he wouldn't interfere. Emmett's face was stretching into a huge grin. Rosalie's face was indifferent. Carlisle was wearing a soft smile. And Esme's expression radiated compassion, but that was normal for her.

Jasper chuckled.

"What? Did you not think I was capable of being human?" he asked jokingly.

But at the back of his mind the question echoed. He really hadn't felt human in so long. More like some creature of the night, prowling the woods and shadowy streets at dusk doing dealings for Edward. And most of those dealings weren't pleasant. Jasper shuddered at the vague memories, hugging Alice closer to his chest. She wouldn't let him become a monster again.

They ate break fast in a somewhat comfortable silence, though there was a tense layer of questions hovering over them. Jasper felt the swirls of emotions, uncertainty and a small patch of anger from Carlisle, concern from Esme. Edward and Bella were wrapped tightly in a cocoon of love, all other emotions blocked in the wake of that forefront one. Rosalie was happy, she was finally getting her wish. She was leaving with Emmett in a few days. And, of course, Emmett was just purely carefree. Alice was content, okay with living in the moment for now.

"Thank you so much for the food Esme, it's delicious." Alice murmured.

"No problem dear, it was the least I could do."

"Esme, it was more then we could've ever asked for. Thank you for opening your home to us." Edward said strongly.

Esme started to respond, but she was cut off my the loud scrape of a chair. Carlisle stood up swiftly, striding out of the room. Edward heard the front door slam. Esme sighed, starting to clear the table. Jasper saw the tears forming in her eyes despite her effort to hide them.

"I'll go talk to him Esme." Edward muttered, and he strode out of the room also.

Rosalie and Emmett meandered back upstairs while Esme and Bella started talking in whispers in the living room.

Jasper just basked in Alice's calm emotions, running his fingers through her soft locks of hair.

He was slowly slipping into a serene state, when he suddenly felt Alice's emotions jolt. They became uneasy, nervous.

"What's wrong, Alice?" he asked quietly. She shook her head.

"I….don't know. I just have a weird feeling. It's probably nothing." she murmured.

"Alice, look at me." She turned on his lap and tilted her face up. Jasper gazed into her eyes, blue on blue.

"When have your "feelings" ever been wrong?" he asked soothingly. She bit her lip.

"Well…never. But it's just this faint feeling that something is going to happen."

"Don't worry about it then, if it's nothing it will probably fade away." Jasper assured her. Alice nodded, leaning back into his chest, but she still felt peculiar.

Then she felt her mind sway, a flash of a vision wavered behind her eyes. It wasn't a full vision, one that would drain her energy, but it was enough. She jumped off Jasper's lap, her eye wide. Jasper felt her emotions switch to panic in the blink of an eye.

"What happened?" he asked quickly. "We need to find Edward and Carlisle. Something is wrong." she whispered.

**A/N: Please Review! **


	10. Proof

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

The damp morning air floated over Carlisle's livid face as he strode down the deserted street. He ignored his ugly surroundings, the cracked sidewalk and faded buildings that blended into each other like the world's dullest jigsaw puzzle. The nearly dead vegetation poking through the spots where there wasn't some form of concrete or asphalt smothering the natural earth beneath. The mounds of garbage piled precariously on street corners.

It was all there, looming, just like every other day. But Carlisle didn't notice it. He just kept loping down the street.

Until he realized he had no idea where the hell he was going.

He growled under his breath and leaned against a faded brick wall, and only then did he notice his surroundings. But only long enough to add them to the large pile of reasons why he was angry with Edward. He could've be out in the country, a small town doctor maybe, and Esme could fix up a house like she'd always wanted to do.

But not anymore. Now he was doomed to spent who knows how long in this vile city. Because of Edward.

Carlisle sighed and put his head in his hands, just standing there, trying to clear his jumbled mind. He was usually such a calm person. Collected, mature, always the one to handle problems with ease. But having his life torn out from underneath him had finally made him lose his balance.

He felt a cool hand on his shoulder and jolted up, coming face to face with Edward. He tried to keep the frown off his face. It was stuck on there.

"I'm sorry Carlisle." Edward whispered, his face solemn.

"You ruined my dream Edward. My passion was to be a doctor, it was what I was meant to do in this life." he replied coolly. Edward swallowed thickly.

"Carlisle, I know. I can't take it back now, and what I did was terrible, dragging you into a fight when I knew the consequences could turn out badly. But I'm asking for your forgiveness. You're the noblest person I know, and I think of you as a father. Please Carlisle." he begged.

Carlisle's eyes widened, surprised Edward felt that way. He'd assumed he was just a pawn in Edward's ever present schemes.

"And I…think of you as a son Edward. I'm not going to deny that. But I can't forgive you that easily. I lost my medical degree because I was caught in the middle of your illegal incidents. But…I'm sure I'll forgive you soon. I always do." he finished with a resigned sigh. He was well aware his anger would fade sooner rather than later, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Edward flashed him a lopsided grin.

"I'll make it up to you one day Carlisle. I don't know how or when, but I promise I will. I refuse to work for the Volturi anymore. I'm calling them tomorrow to say I'm out, that they owe me now." Edward stated.

"Hmm…I don't think that will be necessary, Edward." A feminine voice said from the left of them.

Edward's whipped his head around to a terrifying sight.

Jane.

The petite young woman stood lazily on the sidewalk, her hip jutting out as she leaned carelessly against the gray building. She wore jeans and a simple blue jacket. It was a striking contrast to the flowing black robes usually worn by the Volturi gang. Her blonde hair that was tied up into a loose bun bobbed as she tilted her head to the side.

"Judging by the look on your face I'm guessing you're not happy to see me?" she muttered nonchalantly.

"I'm getting that a lot nowadays. Guess my reputation is spreading." she said with a leer. Edward's breath caught in terror. Jane grinned wider.

"What? Scared of a girl? Not so brave without your shield wife to protect you?" she taunted. Edward snarled.

"Don't bring her into this."

"Oooo, a little testy are we?" Jane asked with a mocking grin. Then her face became stone cold, all traces of teasing erased as if by the passing wind.

"So, I overheard you're planning to stop repaying your debt to Aro?" she demanded.

"Yes. We took out a group that was giving him problems. James, Victoria, and Laurent. I'm sure you're aware of them. I think that pays off my debt" Edward said evenly, waiting for the sharp stabs of pain to course through him as they always did when he told Jane anything different from what she wanted to hear. But they never came. He glanced up at her. She had a startled look on her face.

"Really? Well that's news to me, I just came to check up on your other mission. I suppose that doesn't really matter now. But how am I supposed to know you're telling the truth? Do you have proof with you?"

Edward opened his mouth and then closed it.

"No." he murmured. Jane smiled.

"I'm sure you can come up with a better answer than that, Edward." She flashed her eyes up quickly to meet his, pouring her gift into his eyes. He yelped in pain, falling with a thud onto the cracked concrete.

"Stop!" Carlisle yelled, his eyes wide in panic.

Edward had never told him there were other people with talents like Bella's.

Jane did stop. And she turned her gaze to Carlisle. He fell to the ground alongside Edward, the breath knocked out of him. Edward jumped to his feet, growling.

"Stop! I have proof!" a musical voice shouted. Jane looked up, her eyes now so seemingly innocent. But she seemed drained of energy, her shoulders drooped slightly and circles were forming beneath her eyes.

Edward turned around to the sight of little Alice sprinting down the sidewalk, her green dress swishing in the light wind. She came to a graceful stop at Edward's side. Her grey-blue eyes were determined, and for the first time sense Edward had met her, they were angry.

"I have proof." Alice muttered. Jane raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I think we should go for a little trip then." Jane stated, her voice sugar-sweet. Alice nodded.

"Alice!" Jasper's anguished voice shouted from the doorway of the apartment. He started to limp down the sidewalk, his face contorted in pain and panic.

"Don't touch her." he snarled at Jane, wrapping a shaking arm around Alice's waist. Jane rolled her eyes.

"She's the one who came running out here all hero-like, trying to "save" Edward and his friend. They wouldn't have any lasting side effects, it's just artificial pain." she sneered.

Alice seemed confused.

"Artificial pain?"

"It's a gift." Jane stated airily. "Now, show me this "proof" of yours."

"The bodies are back in the cabin a few miles away." Alice said strongly, helping Jasper to the ground, where he leaned against the wall with a sigh and smile toward Alice and a glare toward Jane.

"Okay, but you're coming with me Alice. I can't have Edward, the king of trickery, try and pull something. Capers and scandals don't work for Volturi members."

Jasper growled.

"Take me instead." he pleaded. Jane shook her head with another sneer.

"Only Alice."

Alice dropped down beside Jasper, taking his livid and scared face in her small hands. She put her emotions into her eyes, telling him she'd be fine. Even though he could clearly feel the confidence and assurance radiating from her, he didn't believe it easily.

"Jasper, we have to do what she says, who knows what could happen? There are probably other gang members hiding here now." Alice whispered, her cool breath flowing over his ear. He sent her a panicked look, but nodded. She stood up straight, her eyes turning dark.

"Let's get this over with." she muttered. Jane motioned for Alice to follow her, and they started down the street. Jane paused, turning back around swiftly.

"Whoops, almost forgot something." she sent a torturous glance at Jasper, and he gasped in pain, clasping his fists together. As quickly as it started, it stopped, and Jane continued walking as if nothing happened.

"That one was for Maria, by the way. I saw her the other day." Jane called carelessly over her shoulder.

Alice was still frozen, a single tear running down her cheek.

She looked to Jasper for reassurance that he was okay, but he wouldn't meet her gaze. And that scared Alice more then almost anything else she'd been through the past few weeks. His eyes were full of betrayal, mistrust, pain, hate, and…hurt.

"Move it, Alice." Jane snarled. She turned from Jasper reluctantly. She was sure he could feel the hurt radiating from her more potent and searing than the sun. But he still wouldn't meet her eyes. She bit her lip and followed after Jane.

They went around the corner, and she motioned to a parked car near the sidewalk. Alice climbed in that backseat and Jane climbed in the passenger side. A man was driving that looked strikingly similar to Jane, but he had a completely stoic look on his face, while Jane's face was smug. The man started up the engine, pulling onto the street.

Alice had one of her fluttering feelings in the back of her mind, telling her Jane only mentioned "Maria" to hurt Jasper. And possibly her.

"Who's Maria?" she demanded. Jane laughed.

"Jasper didn't tell you? You two looked pretty close, I'm surprised." she said airily.

Alice ground her teeth, holding back a remark. But she couldn't help but feel wounded. Did Jasper not trust her? Alice violently shook her head, scolding herself internally. There must be some other explanation.

Or maybe there was a simple reason. Maybe it hurt him to talk about it. Or maybe there just hadn't been enough time. They had only had a few moments alone since this whole ordeal started. Alice bit her lip, deciding to just let Jasper take control of this decision. He could tell her when he was ready.

Alice told Jane the turn to make and they headed down the long driveway. Jane walked in the cabin and came out a few minutes later, a small phone to her ear. Alice saw her nod a few times. She snapped the phone shut and got in the car.

"Aro is very pleased. He agreed that Edward and Bella should be let off the hook." Jane muttered in a dead voice. She'd wanted violence.

"You're just lucky Caius wasn't there."

Alice couldn't keep the grin off her face. They drove back to Carlisle's apartment and Alice ran to the front door as Jane pulled away. She threw open the door. Everyone was gathered in the living room, their faces somber. Esme stood up swiftly, wrapping Alice in a tight hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay dear." she breathed. Alice smiled softly.

"You guys are free." she said to Bella and Edward, but her eyes searched the room for Jasper. He wasn't there. Bella noticed. She motioned stealthy to the staircase, passing it off as if she was throwing her arms around Edward. Edward buried his face in her neck and she kissed the top of his head lightly.

"I'm going to take a nap." Alice murmured, slipping around the corner and up the stairs. She knocked lightly on the bedroom door before entering.

Jasper was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. His posture was stiff. He turned to Alice and gave her a lazy grin, thawing out and patting the bed beside him. She sat down, curling into his side.

"I'm sorry, Alice." he whispered, pulling her close. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know." she whispered.

"Of course, you know everything." he teased.

"Yes I do." she agreed easily. He chuckled, then sighed.

"I suppose I have some explaining to do." he murmured.

"Whenever you're ready. Don't rush. I can wait forever if need be." Alice promised. Jasper smiled.

"Don't worry, I won't make you wait forever. I can tell patience isn't your strong suit. And you deserve to know everything, to know if you really want to spend forever with me." Alice rolled her eyes.

"It's a little late for that Jasper. I'm yours. And whether you like it or not, you're mine." she murmured. Jasper grinned.

"I was hoping you'd say that."

**A/N: Hello! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you guys are AMAZING! I'm hoping everything in this chapter made sense, but if something was confusing, please tell me! Bella's gift is the same as in Breaking Dawn, so is Jane's. And, if ya get a chance, please review!**


	11. Forever and Always

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone that reviewed, and for a heads up, I'm switching to first person point of view for this chapter. Thanks for reading!**

**Warning: This chapter is SERIOUSLY sappy. Really. **

**Alice P.O.V.**

I listened to the soothing hum of the forest and felt Jasper's warm hand on mine as we strolled through the trees. The buttery morning sun was filtering down the through the canopy of leaves, splashing the shady ground below.

And Jasper's distinctive aura washed over me, letting me feel his every emotion and thought without the help of his gift.

"Don't be nervous. You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." I reminded him softly. He smiled at me, bringing our entwined hands up to his mouth where he delivered a light kiss to my knuckles.

"Don't be silly, Alice. I'm not nervous about telling you, I'm just not sure how to…word anything. To explain it. I haven't had much experience with…talking." I chuckled.

"Don't worry about that, I can do enough talking for the both of us. But that's just with other people. You don't have to use fancy words with me. Just tell me your thoughts." I murmured. He nodded.

"Alright. You make it sound so easy."

"That's because it is. You're the one making it complicated." I teased. He nodded again. Then he stopped abruptly, and I stopped beside him, sending him a curious look.

"I think this is the spot, right past those bushes. I found it when I was here with Edward a few years ago. I want to share it with you… it has always been kind of special to me." Jasper murmured. I started bouncing in place, exited at the prospect of seeing something important to Jasper.

"Let's go!" I squeaked, pulling him through the underbrush.

He followed without complaint. I gasped. It was beautiful. There was a flowing river, trickling past at a lazy pace. On both sides of the river the pine needles and leaves faded into a shore of smooth pebbles, blunted by the many years of water flowing over them. The sun shone off the pebbles, casting patterns across the clearing. I turned to Jasper and threw my arms around his waist. His arms wrapped around me, swallowing me in his embrace.

"It's beautiful." I mumbled into his shirt.

"I'm glad you like it." he murmured, running his long fingers through my short hair. Then he released me, gently taking my hand and pulling me toward the shore. He sat down on the smooth rocks, patting the area next to him.

I dropped down, curling against his side, reveling in his enveloping scent. It was wild, untamed. It was a scent that might be associated with a leopard, stalking his prey in the depths of a forest. Or maybe a mountain lion, slinking through the trees as silent as a whisper.

Dangerous.

But I felt so safe. Here we were alone, in the middle of the forest, and I was nestled into his side feeling more protected and loved then I ever have. I glanced over, taking in the contours of his face. His blonde hair was falling into his eyes, and his blue eyes were troubled. I waited for him to speak.

"I'm a murderer Alice."

I tensed.

"I already knew that. You killed Laurent. I almost killed Victoria, but Bella helped me…" I rambled. I already knew that wasn't what he was talking about. I looked into his blue eyes. They were pleading.

"Go on Jasper. I won't interrupt." I whispered. He sighed.

"I was part of a gang. They were similar to the Volturi I suppose…but not nearly as humane. They regarded their gang members as easily disposable. If one got killed, they recruited another. That was were I came in. My gift was very useful for persuading people to join us…and my fighting skills…well, they were useful for something else entirely. If someone wanted to leave, to gain their freedom and go back to their own life…the "leader" gave them a deal. If they could fight me, and win, then they could be set free. If they lost, they would die. Of course no one ever won. I was too skilled in the art of war…too experienced in combat… " he choked out the last part, like the memory was cutting him. His eyes became dark.

"So, although I didn't kill them directly, I'm responsible for over fifty murders. And all I have to show for it are flimsy scars peppering my arms and torso…taunting me every time I look at myself. Do you know I've showered with my shirt on for three years? I'm a pathetic excuse for a man. But a superb excuse for a murderer. I don't deserve you Alice, and you deserve someone better. Someone with a clean record. A clean soul." he spit out the last word with a malicious glint in his eyes.

But it quickly faded into hurt. I wrapped my tiny arms around him, wishing I was strong enough to hold him here by force. I guess I'd just have to rely on love. Dammit.

"I love you." I whispered. He broke down, his face crumpling under the ache.

"I love you too Alice. That's the worst part. I'm hurting you by telling you this."

"Jasper, as long as you don't leave me, I can take any amount of pain." I murmured. He took a deep breath.

"There's more to it?" I guessed. He nodded.

"I stayed there for two years. Two long, excruciating years. And for what reason? I thought I was in love. With the leader of the gang, Maria. I still don't know how she did it. How she tricked me. I guess my talent had left me arrogant, made me think I couldn't be fooled by fake emotions, counterfeit love and phony adoration. Or maybe Maria was just a master at manipulation and deceit. Even more so than me." he shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling lifelessly.

"Or maybe I'm just an idiot." he suggested. I glared at him.

"Jasper Hale, you are not an idiot." I bit my lip. "Okay, maybe you are, but I still love you." I said, silently begging him to lose the lifeless glint in his melancholy eyes. He smiled humorlessly.

"Edward was the one who convinced me to leave. He helped me see through Maria's smoke and mirrors, to see what I was doing to innocent people. So I joined him." he finished.

"Jasper, look at me." I commanded. He did. I climbed onto his lap and looked directly into his eyes.

"All of that is in the past. I believe you're a good person. You were tricked, seduced. But now you have the rest of your life to make it up. And I'll be there with you, if you'll let me." I promised, trying to surge my emotions to him. He smiled.

"You sure are persistent." he chuckled. I laughed along with him, grasping at the threads of emotion that were coming back into his eyes.

"Look Jasper, you are my soul mate. I can feel the strong connection wrap around me every time I see you. I feel like I've never truly known someone until I met you. I didn't even know myself. I especially didn't know myself. I was just a girl without a family, without a home, fresh out of a mental institution. I wasn't going anywhere. I didn't belong anywhere. And now I belong with you. If you leave, I'll follow. We can help the homeless, we can save the rainforest, we can rescue lost puppies, we can work in soup kitchens, we can built homes for people who need them, we can spend time with sick children, we can work our asses off and then donate it all to charity. If you want to, we can do everything in our power to help make up for the crime of the past. As long as it's "we" and not just "you"." I finished breathlessly, tears trickling down my cheeks.

I wiped them away angrily, waiting for Jasper to say something. He smiled, wrapping his arms around me. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll follow you anywhere, darling, just lead the way." he whispered.

He leaned down, so slowly, and pressed his lips to mine. I wrapped my fingers in his blonde hair, pulling him closer. His breath was warm and his lips moved in perfect synchronization with mine.

I lurched off his lap, laying down beside him. I felt the smooth rocks beneath my back, their cool temperature in contrast with the slow, gradual burning coursing through my veins. Gently, I pulled him to me.

He put one arm on both sides of my body, keeping his weight from crushing me. But he was still close enough that I could feel every contour of his body against mine. Our lips came together again, molding to each others. His eyes were dark, but not with pain for once.

I felt the lust on the surface, but behind it was a wave of love. And I knew he could feel my love, radiating from me like the sun. There was no uncertainty or hesitation. Like when we first met…simple. It was perfect. Jasper stiffened. I stiffened. Our emotions and actions were parallel.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"Someone's coming." he whispered back. He gave me a quick peck, rolling onto the rocks beside me. I heard someone clomping through the woods.

Emmett.

"There you guys are! I've been looking for you for an hour! I was worried something happened…." he trailed off. He grinned a wicked grin.

"Sorry to interrupt." he chuckled, taking in our matching glares.

"I'll just…be going now…" he said, slipping back into the woods with a wink towards Jasper.

"Rosie!" I heard him shout. Jasper chuckled, pulling me back onto his lap.

"Sorry darling." he murmured, his lips trailing down my neck. I gasped.

"No problem." I muttered breathlessly. "Jasper? I need to tell you something." He stopped.

"Okay."

"I…saw your scars. When you were shot, I cleaned them." I whispered, praying I wouldn't see that lifelessness come back into his eyes. He just blinked.

"Really? You saw them…and you still helped me. You weren't disgusted?" he asked. I shook my head, showing him the emotions I felt when saw them. Pain for whatever he'd been through. But also curiosity. His eyes widened.

"Oh."

I chuckled.

"Jasper…can I see them again? To show you I'm not disgusted?" I asked quietly. He raised his eyebrows.

"Are you sure you aren't just looking for an excuse to see me without a shirt?" he teased.

"You caught me." he laughed, then became serious.

He stood up and slowly lifted his shirt above his head, dropping it onto the rocks beside him. His eyes were guarded.

I held my heart on my sleeve. Well…technically my emotions. I let him feel what I felt. Love. Awe for his beauty. Our mysterious connection.

I stood up, putting my small hands on his chest. I traced every scar, trailing my fingers down his arms and across his chest. Goosebumps appeared everywhere our skin touched and I could feel his slight shivers. When I was finished I wrapped my arms around his waist and he wrapped his around me.

As we stood there, all our insecurities and guilt faded away. We were bound forever now. Forever and always.


	12. Clear Waters

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**Hello! So, this chapter is pretty…fluffy. I think it's necessary to build up the relationships between some of the characters before the last bit of the plot comes through. I hope you like it!**

**One week later-**

Bella smiled as she traced Edward's face with her trembling fingers. She still couldn't believe he was really here, with her, and unharmed.

Images and thoughts had slithered their way through her mind during the weeks she spent in the cabin. Of course there were the fears that she would die, but there were worse ones along side them. Dark images of Edward coming to rescue her, only to be murdered by her captors.

Her mind had played through so many frightful scenarios, she had convinced herself that there was no way they would survive.

But, as always, Edward defied the boundaries she had set for his hero-like tendencies. He never ceased to amaze her.

And now here he was next to her, curled up together on the couch like a normal couple their age. Bella's smile morphed into a jaw-cracking grin as she realized that now they really could be a normal couple. Free from the shackles Aro had imprisoned them with. They were in love and as free as a passing wind. Now they could just see where life would take them. Edward sighed softly, breathing in the strawberry scent of Bella's brown locks.

"I love you." he mumbled.

"I love you too." she murmured, running her fingers through his strangely colored hair.

"Bella? Edward?" Rosalie's chiming voice floated into the room.

"We're in here!" Bella called. Rosalie meandered in, leaning casually against the door fame. Her usual stone cold expression was erased, and a soft smile had taken its place.

"We're leaving tomorrow." Rosalie murmured, her chiming voice expanding thorough the room like a blossoming flower. Bella smiled.

"That's wonderful Rose. You deserve a normal life with Emmett. Just make sure to stay in touch, hmm?" Rosalie nodded.

"Of course. I was thinking maybe we can do something today, all of us together?" she asked.

"What did you have in mind?" Edward interjected. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, nothing too "dangerous" for your precious Bella. I know her leg is still healing."

"Well...what?' Bella asked curiously. Rosalie suddenly looked embarrassed. She mumbled something under her breath. Edward raised his eyebrows.

"We didn't catch that." he stated. Rosalie sent him a glare.

"I said…I've been wanting to go swimming for awhile." Bella tilted her head to the side, biting her lip.

"Why are you embarrassed about that?"

Rosalie shrugged moodily, suddenly looking aggravated.

"I don't know how to swim." she muttered sourly. Bella kept chewing on her bottom lip, nodding.

"Me either." she admitted in a small voice. They both looked to Edward. He pursed his lips.

"I can't either. It's not like I had time to learn, with all of the illegal crap. Not to mention I lived in a city for my whole childhood and I wasn't really a popular target for getting invited to pool parties." he ranted bitterly.

"Same here." Bella replied.

"Yeah." Rosalie added airily. "Well, someone must know how." Bella nodded.

"Emmett!" Rosalie shouted through the doorway.

"Wutzuff?" he mumbled, ambling into the room with his mouth stuffed with food. He swallowed thickly.

"What's up?" he repeated more clearly.

"Do you know how to swim?" Bella asked sweetly. He shook his head, his curls flopping into his eyes.

"Nope. I grew up in the city too." he said.

"Darn it." Bella sighed.

"Jasper, stop it!" Alice's melodic voice rang out from the front porch. They heard the door slam shut amidst the sound of laughter. A deep gravelly chuckle and higher pitched giggles. Jasper busted through the door with Alice clinging to his back, her eyes wide.

"Put me down!" she pleaded, trying to keep her face serious, but her grin kept breaking through. Jasper shook his head, his shaggy hair in tangles.

"You're too adorable for your own good. I don't want to let you go." he chuckled, spinning in fast circles.

Alice gasped.

"Jasper." she whispered, noticing the amused faces of the occupants of the room for the first time. Jasper's laughter died out and he set Alice carefully on her feet, keeping their hands intertwined.

"Hello." he mumbled.

"Do you guys know how to swim?" Bella asked. Jasper shook his head while Alice nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course! I love to swim, but I haven't in so many years…" she trailed off, her excited voice evening out. Her eyes were wide and she clutched Jasper's hand tighter, hiding her face in his shirt.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to get worked up." she mumbled. Edward furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why are you sorry about that, Alice?" he asked her. She peeked out from behind Jasper.

"Sorry. This is going to take some getting used to. The doctors always got angry when I became too energized and animated, they said it wasn't good for helping the medicine work…" she trailed off with a shrug. Jasper leaned down to kiss her head.

"You can be yourself around them, sweet pea. They're good folks" he murmured into her short cropped hair. Alice smiled at them.

"So, why did you ask me if I could swim?" she asked shyly.

"Well, we don't know how. But we want to learn, do you think you could teach us?" Bella asked her softly,

"Of course!" Alice exclaimed, her elfin face exploding into an expression of pure anticipation.

"Is there a pond around here? I wonder what the easiest way to learn is…start out with floating or arm and leg movements?" Alice mumbled to herself excitedly, pacing the floor. Jasper chuckled and went to flop onto the couch, his eyes amused as they followed Alice's frenzied pacing.

"There's a pond a few miles away. I saw it on the way here. But first, we need to find some bathing suits, girls." Rosalie said, darting out of the room. She came back with a bag of clothes.

"These will work."

Bella stood slowly, her injured leg still unsteady. Edward wrapped his arm around her waist and they began a stroll toward the pickup truck. They shared a quick private conversation that ended with Bella grinning and Edward glowering. He glumly trudged to the passenger side as Bella climbed into the drivers seat. She patted the dashboard affectionately.

"Is this your truck?" Alice asked curiously, taking a brief interlude from her eager whispered conversation with Jasper. Bella grinned.

"Yup. His name is Lenny." Alice laughed. Edward groaned.

"I can't believe you went as far as to name it. It's bad enough you love it more then you love me." he huffed. Bella rolled her eyes.

"You know that's not true. I love you both equal." she said with a wink toward Rosalie. Edward sulked.

They drove out of the murky city and onto the winding country roads, bickering with one another all the way, but Alice could tell they were just joking.

She was mystified.

It was spooky to see how drastically their personalities became friendly and sweet after they were no longer cooped up in Carlisle's apartment. They were like a whirlwind. Especially Edward.

Alice had witnessed him change twice over a matter of weeks. She had seen him morph from a dangerous, unbalanced criminal to a love struck young man in a few hours. Plus, every few minutes he seemed to change from brooding to joking banter.

Alice shook her head, snapping out of her thoughts. She decided to leave Edward's emotions to Jasper…that was his area of expertise. She sent him a glance, silently asking him. He shrugged and sent her an expression that clearly stated "I've lived around him for years and still can't explain it." Alice patted his knee and leaned into his side, impatiently waiting for them to arrive at the pond.

After a few more minutes her leg started quivering, and pretty soon her whole tiny body was bouncing with excitement. Jasper was clenching his teeth to keep the eruption of excitement from making him bounce right along side her. He didn't succeed.

Finally they pulled up along a steep bank and got out of the overcrowded truck. They followed a hiking trail and came upon the pond. Except it was more like a river. There was a steep waterfall blasting down into foaming waters below, and sheer rocks jutted out in many places.

Alice quickly peeled off her green dress to reveal a purple bathing suit that had been Esme's when she was ten years old. Alice was small enough to fit into it easily. She turned to find Emmett watching her with an evil glint in his eye. She gulped. He sauntered forward casually. Alice looked to Jasper for reassurance. He shrugged. She took that to mean she wasn't in any danger. Emmett scooped her up and walked precariously close to the river.

"No Emmett! It's probably really cold!" she screeched. He chuckled and dumped her into the water. Her protests were reduced to bubbles as she went under. Jasper glared at him. Alice jumped up with a look promising violence etched across her small features.

"You're a dead man." she snarled. He laughed at her angry expression.

"Your hair looks like a wet poodle!" he roared. She gave Emmett a wounded look and hung her head, sniffling. Emmett's laughter died out.

"I'm sorry Alice." he murmured, striding back to the river. He reached out to pull her out, but she pulled him in instead. He made a much bigger splash.

"Now we're even." she stated airily, climbing back onto land. Emmett looked dumbfounded. Jasper chuckled, pulling her close.

"Good job, sweet pea." he whispered. Alice spent the next hour teaching them to swim. Rosalie, Edward and Jasper were fast learners. Emmett and Bella on the other hand, were not.

It took awhile.

Alice sighed, leaning back into the smooth rippled water and floating peacefully.

"Cannon ball contest!" Emmett roared. He scooped up Rosalie and sprinted up onto one of the highest outcrops, diving into the water. Alice giggled.

"I'll go next!" she yelled, scrambling up the rocks. Jasper watched with amusement from below. She scampered to the edge and waved to him. He waved back and watched her take a deep breath, leaning toward the edge.

Then her eyes glazed over, her expression blank.

A vision.

"Alice!" he screamed, sprinting up the rocks.

But he was too late.

Alice teetered forward on her toes, the pebbles giving out.

She plunged into the dark water below.

**A/N: Sorry about the cliff hanger (in sort of a literal way too…) . Anyways, please review and have an awesome Thanksgiving!(if you celebrate it)**


	13. Not So Picture Perfect

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A/N: Hello! Once again, I'm sorry I took so long to update. Since I wrote a chapter in Alice's P.O.V. awhile ago, I figured I'd write this one in Jasper's P.O.V. to even it out. I hope ya like it!

**Jasper P.O.V.**

My heart clenched in panic as Alice's small form hit the water with a sharp smack.

I dove off the ledge, free falling before entering the cool embrace of liquid. My scarred hands spread the water, bringing me deeper at a desperate speed. My bare feet touched the bottom. The cool stones that I had begun to think of as a calming brought me no comfort. I flayed my arms wildly, praying to feel a hint of anything solid.

My hands were empty. I pushed off of the river floor, floating upward with my arms still flailing.

I felt the cool fabric of a bathing suit. Pulling my Alice close to me, I thrashed upward to the surface. I made it to the rocky shore, laying Alice carefully onto the pebbles. Her eyes were open a fraction, and I could see and feel the exhaustion radiating from her.

I gathered her in my arms again, stroking her soaked hair. She shivered. I faintly registered the panicked voices of Edward, Bella, Rosalie, and Emmett, but they were just a background buzz. I could only concentrate on Alice. Her gray-blue eyes fluttered open fully.

"Are you alright, sweet pea?" I murmured. She nodded, coughing delicately.

"Sore." she rasped. I smiled. She was okay.

"Well, you hit the water hard sweet pea." I reminded her softly. She nodded.

"Stupid visions." she muttered, running a trembling hand through her short locks. I opened my mouth to tell her how sorry I was for not getting there in time, but she just shook her head.

"Don't bother Jasper, I can tell what you were going to say." she rasped. I rolled my eyes. Edward realized Alice was okay and I heard him whisper to everyone else to give us some privacy. They walked away reluctantly with anxious looks over their shoulders. Edward followed after them.

"What was your vision about?" I asked gently. She furrowed her eyebrows.

"I think…I think I saw my mother. I saw myself hugging her, and she was crying." Alice whispered. Then she nodded firmly.

"Yes, I'm sure it was my mother."

"Alice…." I trailed off, telling her the rest with my eyes. She'd told me what her family had done to her. Sending her off to a mental institution. Not even coming to visit her. Convincing my Alice there was something horribly wrong with her. My lip curled in hatred and disgust. And, after all of that, their picture was the only thing that brought her comfort through her childhood years at the hospital. I growled.

"I want to see her." Alice stated firmly. My eyes widened.

"What? That's crazy Alice, don't you remember what she did to you? What they both did to you?" I snarled.

Her eyes became dark.

"Don't call me crazy Jasper." she warned. My face crumpled. I hugged her tighter to me.

"I'm sorry Alice, you're not crazy. You're not crazy." I whispered frantically. The stormy look didn't leave her eyes.

"And yes, I do remember. But part of life is forgiveness. If they want to see me, then I want to see them. I'm not going to let a bad decision ruin my chance of being able to love my family again."

I took a deep breath.

"Okay." I whispered. "Just don't be angry with me. Don't leave me." I pleaded, hugging her even closer. I felt tears running down my face. I didn't bother wiping them away.

She slid off my lap and turned so she was kneeling on the rocks, facing me. She took my face in her soft hands.

"Shhh, Jasper it's alright." she murmured. "I'm not leaving. I'm not angry with you. I'm right here." she assured me, her eyes pained. I took a shaky breath. She wrapped her arms around my neck, burying her face in my shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. I know you didn't mean that kind of crazy. Its just…I was told there was something wrong with me for so long…"

I kissed her lips softly.

"Don't worry about it. I overreacted too. You told me you wouldn't leave me. I should trust you. I do trust you. If you want to see your parents, that's fine with me."

She grinned a tired grin.

"Thank you Jasper."

"Anytime sweet pea, anytime." We sat in silence for awhile, watching the soft glow of the sun fade behind the thick forest of trees.

"We can go tomorrow if you want. Rose and Emmett are leaving in the morning, we can go after that." I whispered, She nodded. A few minutes later I heard her breathing even out, and the calm and love that had been radiating from her lulled into the dim emotions of sleep.

I lifted her gently, walking slowly back to the truck. Rosalie ran out to meet us holding a blanket. She laid it carefully over Alice, tucking it around her, an almost maternal look in her eyes. She gave me a timid smile before sauntering back to Emmett's open arms. We drove home in silence. I carried Alice upstairs when we got home and laid down next to her, falling asleep quickly.

* * *

I woke to a soft humming. Alice was back to her old self, prancing around the room with a feather duster. She caught my eye and smiled at me with a sheepish look. She set down the duster and jumped on the bed, pulling me up into a sitting position.

"Hello sleepyhead. Rose and Emmett just finished saying goodbye to everyone else, so they're just waiting for us." she told me, her voice sweet as sugar in my ears. I rolled out of bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her into my side. We ambled down stairs and out the door where Rose and Emmett were leaning against the grungy bricks a few feet down the road. I noticed the rusted bus stop sign.

We exchanged hugs and goodbyes. Rosalie told us that when they found a place to stay they would call Carlisle and give him the number, and that Alice and I can do the same. Emmett made sure to get in a few jokes at the last minute, and Alice made him promise to keep up his sense of humor no matter where life would take him.

And then the bus pulled up and they were gone.

One lone tear slid down Alice's cheek. She smiled at me.

"We'll see them soon. I have a feeling in the back of my mind." I nodded. If Alice said so it must be true.

"Come on sweet pea. Bella is letting us borrow her truck to go to your parents house." I couldn't help but have the word "parents" come out acidic on my tongue. Alice ignored it, pulling me along to the truck. We started on our way, Alice murmuring directions down the winding roads.

We pulled up to a huge house. It was painted a soft blue with white trim, a swing on the front porch and a clear cut yard.

Picture perfect.

I didn't trust it.

I had a lot of experience of having things not be as they appear. I felt the waves of familiarity and nervousness rolling off Alice. I squeezed her hand lightly. We climbed out of the truck and Alice smoothed down her dress anxiously, combing through her hair with nervous fingers.

A middle aged woman came out onto the porch. She had dark brown hair tied back in a bun, and the same stormy gray-blue eyes as Alice. She was wearing a flowered dress and a confused expression. Then she caught Alice's eye. She flew down the steps, her dress swirling in the wind and embraced Alice in a teary hug.

"Oh baby, is it really you? I could tell from those pretty eyes of yours. Come on sweetie, come have some tea!" she babbled, walking toward the house. Alice followed, a overwhelmed look blooming across her face. We entered the house. There was a cool breeze flowing through the open windows.

I sent Alice a glance, asking her if she wanted me to use my gift to calm her. She shook her head.

"I need to do this by myself." she whispered. I kissed her knuckles and the top of her head.

"I understand." I whispered back. Her mother came fluttering out of the kitchen followed by a man who had to be Alice's father. He had black hair that was balding in spots and a stern look on his face.

"Go on Alice dear, sit down. We have a lot to catch up on." her mother murmured. Alice nodded, sitting down on the loveseat and crossing her legs carefully. I'd never seen her do that before. I plopped down next to her. Her mother sat across from us, while her father sat over in the corner.

There was a moment of very awkward silence. Alice elbowed me in the ribs.

"Uhhh…I'm Jasper. Nice to meet you." I introduced myself artlessly. Her mother smiled a snide smile.

"I'm Eileen." she said dismissively.

Okay then.

Then her face became animated.

"Oh honey, I'm so happy you're finally better!" she exclaimed.

"Better?" Alice asked.

"Oh yes! Now we can spend so much time together…" Eileen continued to ramble on, but I concentrated on Alice's face. She was upset, I could tell that much, but she wasn't upset enough to leave. She really wanted to make this work. I prayed it would, for Alice's sake.

The day continued on with awkward small talk between Alice and her mother. Her father ignored everyone. Her mother just ignored me, but I could see her shooting disgusted glances toward the trails of scars leading down my arms all the way to my hands. I wouldn't want to see her reaction to the ones on my chest and stomach.

Besides Eileen's eyes, I couldn't find one aspect of her that reminded me of Alice in anyway.

I was dozing off against the arm of the couch when I felt Alice go still beside me. My stomach flipped nervously. I looked over to find Alice's face blank. Another vision.

Eileen's chatter faded out and she gasped in horror. She jumped out of her seat like an electric shock had hit her.

"I know that look!" she shrieked, her eyes bulging. I felt Alice shudder as she came back to the present. She opened her hazy eyes and I pulled her into my lap so the headache would fade faster.

"You little liar!" Eileen screamed at Alice. "You're not better at all! You're still crazy just like you've always been, get out of my house!" she screamed. Alice cowered into my chest, tears escaping her eyes.

"I'm…I'm not crazy. I'm fine." she whispered.

"No you're not! Get out of my house, you're not welcome here!" Eileen screamed, her eyes crazed. I snarled.

"Why are you doing this to your daughter?" I shouted back. "Can't you see that she loves you? You hurt her so many times, you can make it up to her now!" I screamed.

"She's not right in the head, she sees things. And who are you to talk to me like that? You're scum. That's what you are. You both are." she sneered.

My fists clenched, but I held my anger back. I couldn't hit her. It would scare Alice, and I was taught it was wrong to hit a lady. Although I didn't classify Eileen as a lady.

"Alice is an amazing young woman." I said calmly, keeping my face blank. "She is caring and sweet and ten times the person you will ever be. If you don't see that, then it's your loss. But if you say one more word to hurt my Alice, you will pay." She backed away.

"Don't you threaten me." she muttered, but I could tell she wouldn't test my threat. I must've not been controlling my expression as good as I thought I'd been.

"Just get out of my house." she said coldly.

Alice leaped off the couch and took off running. I took off after her.

By the time I got out the door she was already in the driver's seat, her face pained and defeated. I jumped in the passenger side just as she spun the wheels, taking off down the dirt driveway. I knew she didn't have a license, and probably had never driven a vehicle before this, but I couldn't bring myself to care. If this is how she wanted to cope, then I would let her.

She pushed the truck's speed limit to the max, her eyes dead ahead. We flew past the trees. Alice's stiff posture never relaxed. Just as I was about to use my gift to calm her she slammed on the brakes, violent shivers wracking her tiny body.

She crawled across the truck and into my lap, burying her face in my shirt. Her shivers slowly faded until there was absolute silence. She finally looked up at me, her eyes red and still filmed with tears.

But there was hope in them also.

**A/N: So, there it is. I really hope you guys liked it ;) I'm pretty sure the next chapter will be the ending of this story, but I have no idea when I'm going to have it written by. Anyways, thank you for reading, and please review! It makes my day ;)**


	14. Unwavering

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

**I loved writing in Jasper's point of view last chapter, so I'm going to continue with it for the end. This is the last chapter. **

**Jasper P.O.V.**

I held Alice as she sobbed quietly on the small bed. After carefully coaxing her out of the driver's seat I had managed to get us safely back to Carlisle and Esme's apartment. We had rushed upstairs and my sweet Alice had collapsed onto the bed, new tears forming in her blue eyes. She trembled in my arms, her small features gloomy.

The silence seemed to reverberate from the walls leaving an open space of emptiness. It was almost eerie. I was used to either Alice's constant chatter or the gentle quietness of our silent conversations.

But not this.

This was a new kind of silence.

I hated to see her so downcast, to see a dark cloud blocking the rays of her normally sunny disposition.

"Sweet pea?" I asked cautiously, running my calloused fingers through her soft locks of hair.

"Hmm?" she mumbled, her eyes coming back into focus. I tried to read her emotions but she was feeling so much at one time that it was a hopeless attempt. They were jumbled together and I could barely make out the individual feelings. I could feel the faint tug of pain and sadness, which I was expecting, but I couldn't comprehend the…joy and anticipation. Where had those come from? I sighed.

"You're driving me crazy here Alice." I informed her. Her eyebrows furrowed.

"How so?" she asked, her eyes frightened.

"I can't understand your emotions well. What are you anticipating?" I asked gently.

Understanding dawned on her face. She smiled. It was a weary smile, but it was still a smile.

She started to speak, but was cut off by the shrill ring of a phone. I growled, annoyance fluttering through my mind. Alice chuckled dryly. I heard Esme pick up the phone downstairs, murmuring into it quietly. I heard the muted thud of her footsteps up the carpeted stairs. She opened the door timidly.

"Alice?"

"Yes, Esme?" Alice answered politely.

"You have a phone call." Esme said with a warm smile, handing the phone to Alice and slipping back out the door with one last affectionate glance toward her.

My Alice furrowed her eyebrows, looking at the phone like it was a bomb about to go off. She held it carefully, shaking her head.

"Who could possibly be calling me?" she whispered to me, her hand over the speaker. I shrugged.

"Rose and Emmett? Although I doubt they could've found a place to stay that quickly…" I trailed off with another shrug. Her eyes flashed in excitement.

"It must be them!" she squeaked. She quickly put the phone to her ear.

"Rose?" she squealed.

Her smile froze in place, her lips slowly turning down into a confused grimace.

"Cynthia?" she whispered into the receiver.

Now it was my turn to furrow my eyebrows. Alice hopped swiftly off the bed, pacing back and forth through the small room with her ear to the phone. She chewed on her nails while she paced, occasionally murmuring a "yes" or "no". I sighed, leaning back on the bed and waiting. I watched Alice's face slowly morph from bewildered to apprehensive to jubilant. Her speech got more animated as she laughed along with the muffled giggles from the other end of the phone.

Finally she hung up the phone, setting it on the dresser and flopping down beside me. She rolled onto my stomach, wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my neck. I felt her place a soft kiss there before bringing her lips close to mine, teasing me.

I drew her closer, closing the small distance and reveling in the scorching fire that coursed through me. Her lips moved easily with mine, and before I knew it I'd completely forgotten where I was, and even who I was. All I knew was that I had the most perfect woman in the world beside me, and I was the luckiest man on this crazy earth.

The steady stream of love and lust radiating from Alice lulled me into a wonderful place where it was just us, no interference from Alice's parents or the mysterious "Cynthia". But as that thought fluttered into my head, I pulled away.

Alice looked dazed. She blinked quickly, shaking her head. Her eyes met mine and read the question there. Her expression became apologetic.

"Oops. I should of explained the call first should I have? Although I didn't know THAT was going to happen." she giggled, tracing my lips with her fingers.

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too." I chuckled. "Now, who is Cynthia?" I asked curiously.

"My sister." Alice said matter-of-factly. I raised my eyebrows.

"She wasn't there when we went, she was in school. Anyway, she came home a little while ago and heard my mom talking on the phone about our visit. So she called me." she finished.

"Where did she get Carlisle's phone number?" I asked quietly. Alice looked ashamed.

"Well…I may have left it one the front table when we walked in. You know…just in case things had went well." she murmured. I nodded.

"What's your sister like?" I asked hesitantly. Alice grinned.

"She's amazing, nothing like my parents. She's two years younger than me, so she was four when they sent me away." Alice smiled sadly, her eyes wistful. "We would always play in the backyard and make silly plans about running away together. She wasn't dumb, she could see what was going on around her. And she didn't like it. She always promised me that if I had to leave, she would come and find me. I guess she still feels that way. She wants to see me soon." Alice said. I bit my lip.

"Okay." I agreed. Alice smiled.

"Thank you Jasper. You really are my everything." she murmured softly, trailing her fingers across my chest where my scars laid invisible behind my t-shirt. A serene smile played across her face, the pain and agitation washed away. She lifted her eyes to mine.

"Alice? Do you still want to tell me about your vision?" I asked. She nodded.

"Jasper…it wasn't like one I've ever had before." she whispered in an excited rush.

"How was it different sweet pea?"

"Well….it was so far in the future. Farther than I've ever seen before. And it was so…solid and unwavering." she continued, her eyes sparkling.

"What was it of?" I asked, the suspense lingering over me. I was dying to know what had my Alice so astounded. She wasn't fazed by most things.

"It was your birthday party…" she murmured. I snorted.

"Sweet pea, my birthday is only a few months away." I reminded her. She shook her head hastily.

"No Jasper. Your _eightieth _birthday party." she whispered. My eyes widened.

"Alice…that's fifty seven years away…" I mumbled. She nodded.

"I know. And guess what?"

"What?" I asked anxiously. Suddenly my Alice's face broke put into a jaw-cracking grin.

"I was right there holding your hand." she murmured affectionately, kissing my cheek.

My mind whirled.

I registered that to most people this would be mind-boggling. That knowing for _certain _that you were going to be with someone your whole life would be a remarkable discovery. But for me it was just the final pin fastening and securing our future together. I gathered my sweet pea up in a tight hug, reveling in her giggles.

"What, you aren't going to be tired of me by then?" she teased.

"Never Alice. I'll never have enough time with you. I'll always be begging for more." I growled, kissing her deeply.

She flopped back on the bed with a content sigh. But then suddenly she was bouncing off the bed, her graceful movements bringing her to an easy standstill in front of me.

"Jasper, can we leave now?" she asked, her eyes full of delight. They danced with it. The combination of her pouting lip and the buckets of excitement she was throwing at me were enough to make my stomach flip in anticipation. I nodded, scooping her up in my arms and bounding downstairs. We turned the corner.

"Ahhh!" Alice squeaked, pounding on my chest with her tiny fists. I came to abrupt stop, just in time to keep from plowing over Esme.

Esme gave us an amused glance.

"Where are you two going so fast?" she asked with a chuckle. I set Alice down carefully.

"Esme…we're leaving soon. Today." Alice murmured softly. Esme nodded, but looked forlorn.

"I figured you would be soon. And then Bella and Edward will leave shortly after I'm sure." she sighed, a weary smile on her face.

"I'm going to miss having someone to look after." she murmured, tucking a strand of caramel hair behind her ear. I sent a wave of calm toward her and she relaxed slightly.

"Thank you Jasper. I'm going to miss that too." she chuckled.

"Gotta love those warm and fuzzy feelings." Edward muttered sarcastically, walking into the hallway with Bella in tow. I grinned. Edward rolled his eyes.

Carlisle came in next.

"What's the commotion about?" he asked wearily.

"We're leaving Carlisle." Alice said strongly. She bounced over to him, giving him a hug. She took a step back.

"Thank you for everything." she said.

"No problem Alice. If you ever need anything, you know where we are." Carlisle told her seriously. Esme nodded eagerly in agreement. Alice smiled, stepping over to Bella and Edward. She said goodbye to them before scampering back into my waiting arms.

"We'll be coming back to visit often, I'm sure. My sister lives here also. Thank you all so much, you're family to me." she finished. She elbowed me in the ribs.

"Thank you everyone." I murmured, glad Alice had done most of the talking. I wasn't very competent when it came to speaking to anyone except Alice.

We slipped out the door and into the city. The late afternoon glow filtered through the clouds and sprinkled the streets.

Alice held out her hand and I took it without a second thought.

And so our future began.

**A/N: So...there it is. I'm really nervous about if this was the right spot to end it, but I think it is. Please review and tell me what you thought even if it's just as simple as "I liked it" or "I didn't like it". Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed throughout the story, you kept me inspired to finish it. I hope you all have a great holiday! **


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